After the Storm
by Terkontar
Summary: The storm had passed and team RWBY left the grim clouds behind them, finally being able to take a breath, tend to their wounds and pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. And no matter what comes next, they'll brave this new dawn – together / Takes place after Salem's defeat, two years after the fall of Beacon. Mostly slowly burning Whiterose with some Bumblebee on the side.
1. Prologue - Forget me not

_**Forget me not**_

Weiss' body was sent flying into a stone wall when a black fist bigger than the heiress' head knocked the wind out of her and drained almost everything what was left of her Aura, its remains being the only thing that saved her from the immediate death on impact. She slumped down the cold spire, suddenly unable to stand, move or even form a coherent thought. When she finally came back to her senses and opened oddly heavy eyelids, all she could see was a figure of a giant Beringel towering above her, savouring its victory with a gleam of cruel satisfaction in its eyes as it prepared to finish off its victim. She tried to access her Semblance and to just tear that Grimm to shreds, but to no avail - she had already used up all of her energy earlier in the battle, trying to make sure her team didn't get overwhelmed by the horde's advance.

The heiress heart skipped a beat when the thing readied itself for a pounce, but she forced herself not to blink. If the Death's gaze was upon her and she was supposed to die that day, the least she would do was stare back.

Then the Beringel jumped... and disappeared with a sudden flash of red.

 _'What?'_ She blinked a few times, trying to process what just happened. ' _Am I dead?'_ When she started wondering whether or not she should care, something light, red and warm fell on top of her nose, so she squinted her eyes to see what it was. A small, understanding smirk appeared on her face.

Rose petal. ' _Thank you, Dolt.'_

With some difficulty she focused her vision just in time to see the Grimm landing on its back on the rocky ground good thirty feet away from her, with her silver-eyed savior standing on top of it, using the Beringel as an oversized, grotesque skateboard, with Crescent Rose in its war scythe form firmly planted in the monster's chest. After a short skate on top of the creature, the ravenette transformed her beloved weapon back into its default mode and furiously pulled the trigger, shouting.

"I! HOPE! YOU'RE! HUNG-! -RY!" Each pause between the words was filled with a ring of a gunshot from the Crescent Rose, loud and clear even in Weiss' dazed mind.

Before the black body of the beast that had attacked her lost its momentum and ceased the drift, the Grimm was dead. In the meanwhile Weiss found Myrtenaster and, helping herself with its blade, managed to stand up and take a few shaky steps. "Too many glyphs," the heiress hissed, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. ' _Just f_ _or how long have we been fighting already_ _? Half an hour?_ _Longer...?'_ In her memory the battle itself was a blur - working in tandem with Ruby, helping the leader control the battlefield by casting a glyph after a glyph. Everyone was doing a good job, but... the Grimm just kept on coming from every direction. Eventually, Weiss' weariness started to take its toll on her body and concentration; that was how that Beringel had gotten the drop on her, taking the advantage of the fact that Ruby was busy somewhere else.

"Hey! That's my line!" a certain blonde yelled. Weiss took notice of the amusement in Yang's voice, but was still too stunned to connect the dots and determine what that brute of a woman found so funny about the situation. She tried, however, maybe even too hard, seeing that she wasn't paying enough attention to the battlefield. It was Yang's shriek that finally roused her from her shock. "WEISS, WATCH OUT!"

She noticed the Beowolf that flanked her the second before it lunged at her, claws first. She dodged in the last moment, and mostly succeeded - she was fast enough to avoid being hit in a way that otherwise would be lethal, seeing that she had her Aura already depleted. And yet, when she felt forge-hot claws tearing her skin and muscles she knew that she was still a bit too slow.

Myrtenaster slipped out of her grasp, her arms suddenly becoming limp. ' _So, that's it.'_ She looked up at the beast and stared it in the eyes in the last act of defiance as it raised the other clawed paw... and saw its head evaporate into a cloud of blood-red rose petals when another thunder echoed over the battlefield. Her legs finally failed her and buckled, but the pain of hitting the ground never came. Instead, she felt strong arms catching her and wrapping around her, slowly lowering her to the ground. The arms that smelled of roses.

 _'Damn you, Ruby.'_

"I gotcha, Weiss! I got you!" Ruby was trying with all her will and might to hide it, but Weiss could see that she was terrified - she saw it in the girl's silver orbs. "YANG, QROW, COVER US!" Ruby roared. Weiss could hear the aforementioned two shouting something back, but found herself unable to make any words out of it. "Shitshitshitshit," the brunette, noticeably paler than usual, muttered and pulled out her Scroll, then cursed under her breath once she realized something. "Damn it, we're out of range!" Pocketing the device, Ruby opened a first aid kit and got to work, ger fingers gentle, if a little shaky, and actions careful.

"It's getting cold in here," the white-haired girl said weakly after a while, feeling that the blood loss started taking its toll. There was an upside, however - she did not feel the pain that much.

"Mhm," Ruby mumbled back in response, too focused on stopping the bleeding to pay attention to anything else. The white-haired girl forced a small smile.

"How bad does it look?"

"Not that bad," the younger of the two responded, matter-of-factly in a way that would be absolutely convincing if not for the slight trembling of brunette's hands. Nonetheless, Weiss did appreciate the effort and the white lie. The heiress let Ruby work in peace, not saying anything for a while until she felt that previously insignificant call of the warm and inviting darkness was getting progressively stronger.

"I think I'm in a dire need of a short nap, Ruby," Weiss jested, her smile faint but genuine this time. "In case that waking me up proves to be difficult... don't wait for me, would you? Just..."

"Weiss..." Ruby whispered, the tears welling in her silves eyes. At this sight the heiress suddenly found herself unable to think and speak. Even after all these things they've seen and been through, there was still something so inherently _wrong_ in seeing that girl cry... the fact that she was the one that caused it hurt her way more than the damage her body had sustained. And because of that she averted her gaze and looked to the side, hoping that this way it would be easier to breathe.

There she noticed something she hadn't before, in the heat of battle. She knew they fought on a flowerfield, but only now did she recognize the familiar plant with flowers of five white petals grouped into beautiful clusters.

 _'How fitting,'_ she thought, her sad smile still tugging at her lips. She reached out, picked one of the intact flowers - the one with a small drop of red on its petals - and put it in Ruby's hand. And then she whispered:

"Fergissmeinnicht*, Ruby." These were her last words before she succumbed to the darkness.

 _'Forget me not.'_

* * *

 _* Fergissmeinnicht_ is German name of a flower commonly known as Forget-Me-Not.


	2. One thing ends, the other begins

_**Chapter I: One thing ends, the other begins**_

Weiss was proven correct in the assumption that trying to remember the events that left her so sore would do nothing to ease her migraine, but she had also hoped that she would at least partially regain her peace of mind. Instead, she found herself to be only more worried and confused than she was before, and one could call it a hunch, but for some reason she was afraid that the worst realization was yet to come.

 _'Oh well,'_ she thought bitterly, ' _at least that would explain why do I feel the way I do. At first mauled by a Beringel, then in a daze almost got gutted. Smooth, Weiss, really smooth. If Ruby wasn't there to save you three times in a row in a matter of seconds... I really, really need to thank...'_ And then it clicked. _'...her.'_ In a flash the heiress broke out in a cold sweat, the realization she had feared that would come hitting her with a force of a speeding truck. _'Just... Just what has happened while I was out cold...?'_ She could feel the icy grip of panic tighten around her neck as she considered every possibility that would come to her mind, each one more chilling than the last, the little cogs of her brain whirring at top speed. The first reason they even arrived to that accursed land was to take Salem down... ' _Oh dust, Ruby!'_

Without as much as a second thought she quickly sat up on her bed and regretted that immediately, as with her sudden movement her nerves exploded with the amount of pain that made her see all the stars and almost knocked her lights out.

"Fucking beowolf..." she hissed through her teeth, then gasped for air when she finally was able to breathe again. With her eyes closed and her jaw clenched she waited for the pain to subside, now excruciatingly well aware that the wound on her abdomen had not yet healed completely, elastic bandage she felt around her chest also giving her a sneaking suspicion that at least one of her ribs was in more than one piece. ' _Good thing I didn't try to outright bolt out of the bed; I'm pretty sure that I'd just end up on the floor, if I was lucky.'_

Eventually two pale feet carefully slid out from under the sheets and descended onto the ground, cold to the touch tiles sending a shiver up the heiress' spine. Weiss took a deep breath and then slowly, gingerly tried to stand up, wincing as her stomach spasmed in protest. Her legs were weak and wobbly, but she could walk – steadying herself against the furniture whenever she could at first, but as she toddled through the moonlit room some semblance of confidence returned to her movements, her worry about falling onto the floor slowly receding. Determination drove the heiress onwards, and though a part of her feared the truth, she wanted to know. She _**needed**_ to know.

As she strolled deeper into the room, Weiss took a better look at her surroundings, finding herself in an infirmary of sorts. The place seemed to be the size of a classroom, multiple mobile privacy screens dividing it into few sectors, the shattered moon peeking inside with interest through the windows on Weiss' left side. It seemed familiar, somehow, but the heiress couldn't quite put a finger on it. She has never been in here, that much she knew for sure, but she could swear that she saw a similar place somewhere... _But where?_ She looked at the floor and the walls illuminated by a light of the moon, trying to remember where she has seen similar architecture. Then a spark of recognition appeared in her eyes, the answer suddenly becoming so obvious. ' _Beacon? One of the classrooms, if I'm correct... professor Goodwitch has mentioned that some of them were turned into temporary infirmaries...'_

Every time she left an empty bed behind her she felt a weird mixture of disappointment, relief and dread, all these feelings growing in strength with each passed bunk. The white-haired girl carried on, however, as if drawn by some kind of a force to the opposite end of the room. And when she walked past the last curtain and looked to the left, her heart skipped a beat.

"Ruby!"

Despite her weakened state Weiss closed the remaining distance in a flash, running up to the bedside and her unconscious leader, her mind racing, pulsing blood echoing in her head. She leaned over the brunette, her ear hovering an inch above Ruby's parted lips, blue eyes fixed on scythe-wielder's chest, all the while ignoring the pain this position caused her. After a few seconds Weiss straightened up, raised her pale hand to the heart and released all the air she was holding in a loud sigh of relief, a small smile appearing on her face. She could hear Ruby's breath, feel its soft breeze on her cheek and see as the sheets that covered younger girl's body rhythmically moved up and down. ' _Thank Dust, you're alive. But what happened to you, Ruby...? Are you hurt?'_ Weiss wondered, circling around the bed and gazing at her leader's form with worry in her baby blues, looking for any damage, too focused on the task to notice the quiet clacking and sounds of footsteps that were getting louder with every passing moment. _'And where are Yang and Blake?'_ It didn't take her long to finish her examination – in the end, she didn't spot a thing. No wounds, bruises, dressings, casts – literally nothing. And for some reason Weiss found it all the more disturbing. ' _Should I try to wake her up...?'_

"I take it you're worried for your team leader, miss Schnee?" someone not far behind her asked, their voice calm and somewhat amiable, making Weiss jolt and turn on her heel in an instant, almost scaring her to death. "I was just passing by and thought that it might be a good idea to check if one of you has woken up. I was not mistaken, it seems."

"Professor Ozpin?" she muttered, mouth agape, the realization leaving her completely stunned even though it probably shouldn't.

"It's good to see that you got out of the bed already, Weiss. But you shouldn't strain yourself. Please, take a seat," he spoke with a sincere smile, a mug in his right hand, the cane in the other pointing at the chair next to Weiss. The heiress plopped down on the seat, feeling too tired and overwhelmed to disobey, and looked at Ozpin, both question and worry clearly visible in her eyes. "As for your leader..." the headmaster started as he took another chair, seating himself on the opposite side of Ruby's bed. "I assure you that Ruby's life is not in danger. The damage she has sustained was not that serious, and by now most of it should be already healed. She just... overexerted herself, for lack of a better term – and that's why she's _asleep,_ " Headmaster explained, putting a very strong emphasis on the last word. When he saw that the heiress relaxed a little bit at that, he continued. "In fact, I suppose you could try and wake her up, should that be your wish; I won't stop you. I ask you for only one thing: bear in mind that your leader needs rest."

Weiss casted a quick glance at Ruby and then shook her head, grasping younger girl's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"No." She sighed. "If what you say is true and she is going to be okay, then I can wait." Ozpin simply nodded at that, apparently satisfied with her answer.

"Seeing as you're now awake, I suppose you have many questions."

"That's one way to put it, yes," she deadpanned. "For starters, how long was I... out? And where are Yang and Blake? Are they alright...?"

"Yes, they are, at least in terms of body; their night at the infirmary was more of a check-up than anything else. Aside from smaller cuts and bruises, Blake suffered a concussion, while her partner had some problems with her right arm; both these issues were taken care of, and after one night in here your teammates were allowed to leave and join miss Xiao Long's father. That is, after Yang pledged to keep Blake away from reading and to make sure that miss Belladonna would get enough rest." Weiss winced at the mention of keeping Blake away from her books, feeling sorry for the girl. Ozpin noticed it and chuckled under his breath, but shortly after that his face took on a serious expression and he continued. "Your wounds, however, were far more severe. Two broken ribs, dislocation of the right shoulder and multiple cuts to the abdomen that caused intensive external bleeding, among a few other things. If not for the immediate intervention of miss Rose, we wouldn't be holding this conversation, I'm afraid."

Weiss nodded, her eyelids closed, a little, grateful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Yes. She saved my life threefold in a matter of a minute. I will probably never be able to thank her enough nor repay sufficiently." A small laugh escaped her mouth. ' _Not that I'm not going to try.'_ "So, how long was I out cold?"

"You got wounded two days ago, in the morning, and was unconscious for most of the day. In the evening you woke up for a short while, and though you were almost completely unaware of your surroundings at the time, it was enough to keep you hydrated or take care of the rest of your basic needs. The situation repeated itself over the course a few times over the course of the next day, and now it seems that you've finally come to yourself." The headmaster finished his recounting with the corners of his mouth pointing marginally upwards. After a short while he leaned forward on his cane and looked at the heiress with interest. "Speaking of which, how do you feel?"

"Honestly? Like shit." Ozpin tilted back a little bit and stared at her with an expression that Weiss for some reason found incredibly amusing, brows high and lips slightly parted, obviously surprised. It was funny, but the white-haired girl would lie if she said that she didn't know where did the surprise come from - three years ago she'd scold herself for even considering such a choice of words. Now, however, she just couldn't care any less about being prim and proper, especially when it'd make her unable to fully express what she really wanted to say. She blamed her team for that – not that she did mind. "I'm disoriented and starving, my stomach hurts every single time I bend myself in any way and even the breathing causes me pain, never mind the hellish migraine or the fact that I wasn't there when my team needed me." She finished her enumeration and pinched the bridge of her nose, her voice becoming quiet towards the end. After a short while she looked up at the headmaster - who by then managed to collect himself – and finally asked him the question that would be her first one, if she was not afraid of the answer nor so worried for her teammates.

"So, about Salem... are we waiting for the end of the world, or is she...?"

"Dead?" Ozpin suggested, getting a meek nod in response. A small, tired sigh escaped his mouth. "As dead as she can be."

Weiss didn't like that answer, not even a little bit. It was weird... after all, Ozpin said she was as dead as she could be. But something about these words made her uneasy, sending a cold shiver down her spine. The way he had said it...

"What... what does that mean exactly, Professor?"

"It means the concept of death as most understand it does not apply to her, I'm afraid." His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, making the sentence all the more terrifying. "It might take her a few decades or even few hundred years to regain her physical form, but yes – one day Salem will be back. And no matter how many times a hero will rise and save the day," Ozpin said, his gaze turning to the sleeping form of silver-eyed Huntress, "she will return, over and over again. And in the end... she _will_ win."

The heiress looked at the man in front of her like she was seeing him for the first time in her life. He seemed older somehow, crushing weight of the world upon his shoulders, tired beyond measure. His brown eyes were of a person tormented by the memory of all the souls he sacrificed, by countless mistakes and lifetimes of regrets. There was a sense of defeat in the way he spoke that made Weiss' blood run cold, but at the same time she sensed a firm, defiant flame burning brightly in the depths of Headmaster's pupils. Though exhausted and suffering, he would continue his futile resistance and fight, so the light could last just a little longer.

"But there must be something we can do?" she inquired with an inkling of frustration, refusing to accept hopelessness of the situation just like that. After all, she was a Schnee – she would not be able to look at herself in the mirror if she didn't at least try to make a difference.

"If by 'we' you mean the mankind, then yes – stay united and thrive for as long as we can," he stated with a wry smile, slowly relaxing and reverting back to the headmaster Weiss knew. White-haired girl snorted, amused by the fact that the professor made it sound so simple.

"It _won't_ be easy," she said. Ozpin just chuckled.

"Very true," he admitted. "Though we prevented an outbreak of a war that would devour us all, the peace we now enjoy is fragile, and maintaining it will be no small feat. Memory of atlesian knights attacking citizens of Vale and incident with miss Polendina is still fresh, after all. It will take us years to rebuild the trust and kinship between the Kingdoms, but it must be done. I do believe that Huntsman Academies' example will play a big part in rebuilding said trust and kinship."

Ozpin noticed her raised eyebrow and the sad look Weiss gave him at the mention of Academies, but decided not to act on it, instead opting to take a sip of coffee from his mug, thus giving her an opportunity to speak. When it became clear that the heiress would not make use of it, he continued.

"It cannot be our only focus, however; we need to stay vigilant. Creatures of Grimm will not cease to be a threat with Salem's temporary defeat, and though White Fang separatists are now mostly pacified, they were not the only ones that fed on the misery of others. So we, Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant, must continue the task we've been at for the past century – protection of the mankind from its enemies, both external and internal." The headmaster ended and took another sip, for a short while watching Weiss' reaction, searching for a sign saying that the heiress was satisfied with his response. When he found none, he asked, a little bit crestfallen, but not at all miffed or taken aback: "But that still doesn't answer your question, does it?"

"No, professor," the pale girl affirmed. "Although I appreciate the insight, I had a more... specific group in mind."

"I see. As for your team..." Professor paused for a while and shook his head, turning away from the white-haired girl and to the one laying in bed, fast asleep, looking at Ruby with regret apparent in his eyes. "I signed all of you up for my war and there are no words that could possibly express how sorry I am because of that. After all what you've seen and done, all you've been through, especially Ruby... I cannot ask you for more."

"With all due respect, sir, but it was never about you," she said politely, but in a manner that compelled Ozpin to look in her baby blue orbs. "You did _not_ force us to anything, Professor. Salem did. When she took our lives, our friends, our... our innocence away. The day Beacon fell this war of yours became as personal for us as it was for you. We fought for the cause we believed was right, for the life we used to live, the ones that could not protect themselves, the ones that we... that are important to us," the young Schnee asserted with zeal that managed to take all the attention from the presence of the faintest shade of pink that tinted her cheeks. There was a challenge in the way she stared back at Ozpin, an unspoken 'I dare you' that would make everyone think twice about actually doing it. "That was _our_ choice."

"That's very... idealistic of you, Weiss," the professor commented, his raised brows giving away his surprise. A pleasant one, that much was true, but a surprise nonetheless.

"I believe my father would say that there is a certain someone that has been a bad influence on me," the pale girl stated with a small hint of amusement in her voice, soft smile adorning her features when she once again squeezed Ruby's hand, with her blue eyes fixed on ravenette's sleeping form.

"I wonder who would that be," Ozpin pondered aloud, with corners of his mouth pointed slightly upwards in a knowing manner. "And as for your query, the answer remains the same – I can't, and won't, ask you for anything more. The doors of Beacon will be always open for you, however, and I'd be more than honoured to have your team enrolled as our students again, should that be your and your teammates' wish." The white-haired girl nodded in acknowledgment, but aside from that did nothing, all the while watching her slumbering partner, perhaps speculating what her scythe-wielding leader would think. None of them spoke after that for a longer while and so the comfortable silence descended upon the room, disrupted only by silent breaths of three people and a background noise of quietly working machinery. Weiss was the first one to break it.

"Professor Ozpin?" The headmaster's gaze returned to her at the mention of his name, meeting her blue eyes and giving them his full attention. She looked thoughtful, distressed even. "Do you really think it's possible for people to trust us as they used to?" the heiress asked with her brows raised, sadness apparent in her voice and expression. "Academies might have cleared their names, but I'm afraid that damage has been done."

 _'Oh,'_ he thought, ' _so that's what has been troubling her.'_ He understood her worry and truly felt for her. He was well aware that part of the reason why she wanted to become a Huntress was to redeem her family's name in the eyes of society. And though it had seemed to Ozpin for a long while now that being a Huntress was no more a mere means to an end for Weiss, he could see why she would be distraught over the occupation of Huntsman losing its previous credibility.

"Indeed, it may seem to be a strange idea, seeing as the schools were used to plant the seed of doubt in the first place," the man agreed, "but then again, it were Huntsman Academies and their students that worked together in a world gone mad, giving a proof that not all hope has been lost. And later, when the Second Negotiations of Vytal happened and the four kingdoms held their breath, fearing the worst, instead of declarations of war all of Remnant heard Ruby's speech. After that, people didn't know what to think. Many of them still don't, and, truthfully, it should come as no surprise." The professor chuckled and leaned on his cane, hands clasped on top of it. "But what they did know was that the mysterious voice speaking at the end of Vytal Tournament lied to them, trying to turn them against their defenders. It will take a lot of effort and good will from both sides, that's true, but yes, I do believe that this wound can be mended. Just give us all some time," Ozpin finished, trying to be as reassuring as he could.

Weiss was silent for a while, with her gaze fixed on the floor, small frown appearing on her face as she considered headmaster's words. After about half a minute she looked up and offered him a grateful smile, which he accepted with a nod and smile of his own. "Thank you."

"It was not a problem," he replied and stood up from his chair. "If that's all, I shall take my leave now."

"Yes, that's all for now. Goodnight, Professor."

"I'll make sure that someone brings you painkillers and something to eat. Goodnight, Weiss." With that, he started to walk away and soon disappeared behind the privacy screen; the sound of the doors closing behind him could be heard not much later.

Weiss leaned back on her chair, looked up at the ceiling, closed her eyes and let an audible, heavy sigh of relief to slip past her parted lips. At this very moment she would describe herself as 'overwhelmed', that is if she wasn't so dubious about the term 'overwhelmed' still applying to her state in the first place. A small giggle echoed in the room. She felt... giddy, for lack of a better term, and for some weird reason the thought that they changed the course of history and lived to tell the tale made her want to laugh. It could be perceived as strange, she mused, seeing as she just has learned that their victory was only temporary and ultimately they were doomed to extinction _,_ but somehow she found herself unable to care any less. They had time; few years, decades or centuries - be it as it may. They fought against all odds for a cause that seemed to be a lost one and after a long night they emerged victorious, to witness a new dawn together. She would make sure they enjoyed it. ' _We made it. We truly made it. I'm alive. Yang is alive. Blake is alive, and even didn't run away for a change. Ruby will be fine, too. Speaking of whom...'_

Her eyelids opened as she stood up and carefully checked on her slumbering partner, looking for any wound or slightest sign of pain, but once again she found nothing. Ozpin didn't lie – Ruby was fine, just... tired, in a way the heiress couldn't quite explain. The brunette looked so peaceful, bathed in the soft light of shattered moon, with her lips slightly parted as she breathed, a lone strand of black and red straying onto her nose until a pale hand of a friend gently brushed it away. Her hair was a few inches longer than it used to be back when they were first-years, but otherwise mostly retained its old shape. One could even argue that Ruby kept the same haircut, if not for a one key difference - on the back of her neck, where she used to keep her mane short, a long ponytail appeared, now resting on top of girl's bosom, rising and falling in sync with tides of her breathing.

 _'That ponytail_.' Weiss still hasn't got used to it, even after a year. She loved it, however, the way it usually flowed down Ruby's left arm and well past her collarbone, just like in that very moment. Somehow it managed to make her look more mature and innocent at the same time, all the while highlighting the silver-eyed girl's still blossoming beauty.

She found herself playing with Ruby's hair absentmindedly, not even knowing how or when the black-red tresses found their way into her hand. She knew, however, that they were warm and soft, and that she really liked the sensation for some reason. And despite a small blush that crept its way onto her cheeks, she also didn't want it to stop, so instead she ignored the burning of her face and focused on her teammate's sleeping form, all the while twirling the black strands of hair between her fingers.

 _'You've changed so much since the first time I met you_.' She meant it. The most obvious change in Ruby was in her looks – aside from the differences in her hairstyle, she has grown in size, both in stature and in her assets, still lagging a couple of inches behind Blake in height, but still being taller than the heiress in spite of high heels, even if the scythe-wielder was bare-footed at the time. Quite surprisingly, Weiss found herself a lot less annoyed by the fact than she thought she would be. She was still not very fond of being the shortest one in the team, but oh, well, she considered herself being perfectly fun sized.

These changes all seemed shallow and insignificant, however, when one saw the bigger picture. Truly, Ruby has grown, but above all else it was her growth as a person and as a leader that made the difference. The time she spent within RNJR Dust-knows-where, away from her team and her sister, really did wonders to her. Somewhere along the way she got rid of most of her naiveté – or the life did that for her – all the while managing to not succumb to cynicism, not lose her ability to see the good in people. She still was that sweet, caring person she used to be, but also developed into so, so much more. She became more reliable, not once letting her team down ever since they reunited, always putting them before herself and no longer pulling her lone-wolf-style stunts that often times could be considered as death wishes. Without Yang to lean on, she has learned to be more self-reliant, gained confidence and a way with words that made people follow her without a question – a trait that shone during the Second Negotiations of Vytal, likely playing no small role in delivering them all from a war that would tear Remnant apart. Both her tactical and strategy skills improved significantly as well, and though Weiss would be first to admit that the Dolt had the talent since the day one, now she was simply amazing at her job. Ever perceptive, thinking out of the box and being able to make hard decisions in a blink of an eye, she could swiftly come up with a plan for virtually any situation, even if it often proved to be a little bit on the crazy side. ' _Disturbingly so, at times.'_ Then again, at the end of the day she always proved she was good at judging the abilities of her teammates and the risks.

She was always there to uplift the spirits, treat a wound or say a word of comfort. No matter what, a smile always graced her features, her energy apparently endless. She became so strong for her teammates, for the people she cared about... but at rare instances Weiss saw through the small cracks that appeared, and the sight broke her heart time and time again. She knew that Ruby was hurting and that she opted to hide it from everyone. Even though she possibly was the one most devastated over Penny's and Pyrrha's deaths, the brunette chose to suffer in silence and loneliness, unwilling to let the weakness take over – after all, if she would not remain strong, who would? It has taken a toll on her, however. All the other deaths she has witnessed, all the suffering... Even killing Cinder has left a mark on her. And though the silver-eyed girl didn't sustain any serious wounds over the course of past two years, no one better than the heiress knew that not all scars were visible. _'With all the weight of our world on your shoulders,'_ Weiss thought, looking at her leader and best friend with a sad smile, ' _how did you not crumble?'_ She was worried about Ruby, but also proud of her, and she felt like she had a damn good reason for both of these feelings.

Sure, Ruby was still silly and annoying at times, showed off, had instances of being reckless and ate more sugar in a month than Weiss did within a year, but the heiress wouldn't have it any other way. ' _Maybe except for the sugar part, as that's just unhealthy.'_ And though Weiss' vocabulary was impressive to say the least, she was pretty sure that there were no words known to mankind that could fully express how happy she was that the Red Riding Dolt accidentally found a way to explode into her life. She wouldn't admit it aloud, of course, because – honestly - where was fun in that? Besides, she had a reputation to uphold. She couldn't help but smile, however.

 _'How did you do that, Dolt? How did you become so dear to me?'_

In hindsight, it seemed pretty funny. The way their relationship started... And look where they were now. A long and bumpy road was behind them, but there were so many more paths to tread... Weiss could only hope they would tread them together, the once-lonely heiress and her best friend.

She thought she lost Ruby once. She knew she would not bear losing her again.

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
**

Well, here it is – my very first Author's Note. This story - hell, RWBY in general - is a LOT of my firsts, actually. RWBY was the first anime-like thing I've ever watched and was hyped about and the first (and only, so far) work of fiction that got me into shipping and reading any fanfiction. This story? It's my first romance-focused (somewhat?) story, my first future fantasy, my first try at fan fiction, my first story to be published on the Internet, it's cover artwork was my first attempt at drawing manga, et cetera, et cetera...

Oh, right, it's also my very first story written in English – so yeah, mistakes are going to happen; I just hope they won't be many and that my skills are sufficient to write a fan fiction that makes a good read. If you've spotted any mistakes, don't hesitate to point them out – I promise I won't bite! To be honest, I actually could use some beta readers.

Now, to the important questions. Where am I going with this fanfic? How long are the chapters going to be, and how much time will it take to update? Will there be lemons? And finally, the most vital question of them all: **what ships are going to proudly set sail, and which ones shall disappear in the depths of oblivion?**

Starting with the last one: my OTP of all ages and part-time obsession is Ruby x Weiss, while its sister pairing Yang x Blake takes the second place. As such, the fine vessels Whiterose and Bumblebee are going to rule over these seas. What's about the rest of the flotilla? Let's see... Renora is a safe bet, that's for sure, and I suppose we might pay a few short visits on the Wall in the future, just to see how the Night's Watch is faring. Aside from that... I dunno, honestly. Some mentions of Cross Hares, maybe? An ounce of other pairings, just to enhance the taste?

Oh, in case you're curious: both Bumblebee and Renora will be already established relationships.

 **Will there be lemons?**

...perhaps.

 **How canon is this story going to be?** Hm. That's a good question. I think it's safe to say that it's going to stay relatively faithful to the canon as of the end of Volume 4 - if something happened in the show then it also happened here, but the exact circumstances may differ a bit.

 **As for the length of chapters:** I have no. Flippin'. Idea. Writing fan fiction is a totally new experience to me. The chapters will _probably_ be of the similar length as this one – about five thousand words, maybe more, maybe less.

 **How often am I going to update?** Well... I wrote " _Forget me not"_ and " _One thing ends, the other begins"_ over the course of... about six days? Considering that this was my very first story written in English (my native language being Polish), I think I can pretty safely assume that writing will take me progressively less time as my skills improve. I'm hoping to post at least one chapter each month (or two chapters, should they be short-ish). I'll try to squeeze one every two weeks, but... we'll see about that. If you liked the story, please, let me know – it will make me smile and keep me going with the story.

 _*looks at the monster he has created*_

Well, damn, I'm sorry for the wall of text. If you read all of it – I really, really appreciate that. I promise that next Author Notes are going to be way shorter!  
Godspeed!

2016-10-23


	3. Back home

_**Chapter II: Back home**_

Ruby was not sure when exactly she had finally crossed the line betwixt her dreamless sleep and being awake, stuck somewhere in the timeless in-between for what could had been a few minutes just as well as hours. What the scythe-wielder did know, however, was that her whole body felt like she just woke up after some sort of Nora-level-of-insane workout and that she really could use a good massage – a sensation the silver-eyed girl was all too familiar with since the fall of Beacon two years ago. She let out a long sigh and started slowly rubbing her eyelids, covering her face with both of her hands. ' _So, what did I freeze this time?'_ the ravenette mused, trying to recall her latest memories.

Ruby remembered walking in the darkness for what seemed like hours, haunted by the wind that carried sounds of a battle from afar. Three girls talked in hushed voices as led by Oscar they ventured deeper into enemy's territory, passing by ponds of black and crystal spires that just felt wrong. They kept moving forward, quickly dispatching every single Grimm that stood in their way, until they reached the foot of a small hill. There they had found Her, waiting for them - a dark silhouette that overshadowed the shattered moon shining above the equally shattered land, with red eyes glowing like embers in the dead of the night.

Circular motions of Ruby's fingers stopped in an instant as the girl's eyelids snapped wide open, a chill of terror washing over her whole body. _'Oh. Yeah, that explains **a lot**.'_

Ruby's mind kicked into overdrive as she desperately tried to recollect everything that had happened before she blacked - or rather _whited_ \- out. She recalled how a sea of Grimm raged around them, hundreds of blood-red lights flickering in the darkness, swallowing all hope. How Qrow entered the fray moments before the team got overwhelmed. How Blake got knocked out... and even though she remembered all that, and many other things she wished she could forget, no matter how hard she struggled, seeing Blake fall was her last memory – after that everything went white.

 _Alright._ Ruby closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her rampaging heart. _'Get a hold of yourself at once, Ruby Rose. They are fine. Completely fine until proven otherwise. Yeah. There's no need for pre-mature despair.'_ Slowly but surely the wild pounding in her chest slowed its beat a little as she mulled over these words, unable to assume her teammates' good health just like that, but fully aware that succumbing to fear would lead her nowhere. _'Besides, it's not like you can change anything – surely everything has been said and done by now... there's no rush, Ruby.'_

"No rush," she let out with all the air she had been holding.

Ruby sat up on her bed and stretched, hiding a small yawn behind her hand. After one move too many a sharp hiss made its way through brunette's clenched teeth, her tender muscles finally screaming in protest. ' _Ouch. Staring back at death sure does leave you strained.'_ Still wincing, she threw a sweeping glance at her surroundings. ' _Now, where am I? And where could be...'_

Before she could finish this thought, the answer for her yet unformed question casually walked past the privacy screen and came into view with all its white-haired splendor. And a toast in the mouth.

Weiss, looking a little bit weak but otherwise content and – much to Ruby's great relief – seemingly alive. There was only one thing about her that was really out of ordinary - rare sight of the alabaster mane left loose surprised the brunette, making her wonder in what kind of alternate dimension she woke up in. _'Yup, I definitely died.'_ She did like the picture, though.

In that moment Weiss' gaze detached itself from the message she's been typing on her Scroll and turned in the general direction of the bed, only to notice two pools of silver looking back at her. Pale fingers of the heiress suddenly froze an inch away from the device's screen as she stared at Ruby with eyes wide and mouth agape, completely oblivious of the fact that her breakfast just fell to the floor. Shortly after that the Scroll in Weiss' hand was snapped shut and the girl pounced at her leader, strangling the poor thing in a hug. Ruby needed a while to recover from the initial shock this unexpectedly animate display of affection had caused, but before long found herself returning the squeeze with both wide smile and small flush adorning her features, clutching the heiress as if she was the most precious thing in the world.

"Hi, Weiss," she spoke softly as she buried her face in the ivory tresses, her warm breath tickling Weiss' neck and sending a shiver down the heiress' spine.

The two of them stayed like that for a longer while, locked in an embrace and unwilling to part, basking in each other's presence. Eventually a quiet giggle resonated right next to older girl's ear, its closeness all of a sudden making Weiss very glad that Ruby couldn't see her face.

"So, did we make it through, or did we both die and you just have waited for me? Coz if it's the latter, then I'm gonna tell you that I'm really, really sore for a dead lady," Ruby asked, trying her best to sound battered – and succeeding spectacularly – while her silver eyes watched their surroundings. After a few seconds spent on scanning the room, something finally clicked in ravenette's mind. "And seriously, of all the places I thought I'd end up after death, Beacon was _not_ one of them."

"You see," Weiss started, audibly amused, "I asked myself a similiar question. And as unbelievable as it might be, it actually seems that our whole team will be able to tell the tale." To her satisfaction, Ruby relaxed bit by bit as the meaning of these words sunk in, silencing the brunette's fears. Two lithe arms slightly tightened their hold around the scythe wielder's neck when Weiss spoke again, her voice suddenly much more quiet. "Thank you, for all you did for me. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you." At that very moment Weiss was unsure of great many things, but what she knew was that it felt really good to finally express her gratitude, say aloud these thanks coming straight from the heart to the one person that fully deserved them. And even though the heiress was completely aware that in the end it wasn't much, for some reason it didn't seem any less important to her.

"Don't mention it. It's not like you didn't save my sorry ass time and time again over the course of past few years. Comes with our line of work, I guess," the girl in Weiss' arms replied with a small shrug and similarly nonchalant tone, finishing the last sentence with a chuckle. After a brief pause, Ruby took a handful of white tresses and continued, her words barely above a whisper. "I'm just happy you're okay. You really scared me back then, you know."

"Yeah... I'm sorry about that. But that last fight is not the only reason I want to thank you." A smile that would not be seen danced on her lips when a pair of warm arms squeezed the girl just a little harder, informing the heiress that her point had got across. Said smile was short-lived, however, and faded almost as fast as it appeared, quickly replaced by a frown. "You have no clue how glad I was when I realized you were alive. If you died that day because I wasn't there when you needed me... I'm not sure I'd be able to live with myself." The heiress shook her head pensively and slumped in the taller girl's grasp a little. Somehow, Ruby had a pretty good idea what exact kind of thoughts filled Weiss' mind.

"Me neither, if you died because I was too slow to kill that Beowolf before it attacked you." A soft, silent murmur, few heartfelt words spoken in a slightly shaken voice. After taking a deep breath and collecting herself, Ruby gently loosened up their embrace and soon enough their foreheads touched, blue eyes locking with the ones of silver. "But it seems we're both alive, and that's all what really matters, Weiss. Don't blame yourself that you didn't fight Salem with the rest of the gang – you had your own battle to win for us. And win you did. There's no reason for feeling guilty, got it?" the young leader asked, headbutting the heiress lightly for good measure.

The only thing Weiss wanted to do all the while Ruby was talking was to look away; she was startled by the sheer intensity of the gaze that was pointed at her and the close proximity of their faces, but there was something in these two pools of mercury that made her unable to do so, leaving the slightly blushing Huntress-in-training at her partner's mercy. When Ruby finally fell silent, waiting, Weiss found herself speechless, and as such a single nod was the only response the poor girl could muster.

"Great. Now, be a dearie and shut up, you're ruining the moment," Ruby deadpanned and, apparently satisfied with the answer, promptly got back to nuzzling the heiress' white mane, expertly defusing all the tension between the two of them in an instant. A purposefully loud sniff that came shortly after that was the last blow needed to completely shatter Weiss' composure, and even though the heiress tried - really tried – she couldn't help but laugh.

Neither of them said a word from there on, not seeing a reason to. They remained entwined in their embrace under a blanket of comfortable silence, caring not about time as the insignificant world around them slowly faded into obscurity. It was not something Weiss was accustomed to, but in that void where only she, Ruby, and their shared warmth existed, she found herself at peace, wanting it to linger and knowing that she wouldn't trade that moment for anything.

"Besides," Ruby spoke after an eternity, "for some reason it didn't feel like you weren't with us, y'know...?" There was something peculiar about the way had she said it that drew Weiss back to the reality, a subtle hint of hesitancy that just begged the heiress to give it her full attention. And that's exactly what the white-haired girl did.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, begrudgingly pulling away from the hug to have a better look at her partner. Ruby seemed to be puzzled, her eyes downcast as she was trying to come up with a good explanation. After a short while her gaze once again fixed on the heiress' face and her lips parted as if she was about to speak, but before any word passed through them a sound of footsteps echoed in the infirmary, alerting both girls. And so they waited as the footfalls grew closer, limbs untangled and heads turned towards the noise.

"Hiya Weiss, how's goi..." A chipper voice that undoubtedly belonged to Yang could be heard half a second before its owner came into the view of the two girls positioned on the bed. The moment blonde's lilac eyes settled on happy and very much awake Ruby, she stopped dead in her tracks, completely baffled, only to let out an overjoyed squeal a heartbeat later as she darted towards her little sister. "RUBY!"

It was a heartwarming picture of hugs being given and ribs being crushed that Weiss had witnessed, feeling as if some semblance of normalcy has found its way back into her life. It seemed so surreal, like it was too good to be true... And yet, somehow, Weiss couldn't help but feel that it were the last two years that had been the bad dream, and that just now she was truly awake.

Only after a while did she notice that Blake was also present; corners of the black-haired girl's mouth were twitching involunatily upwards as she watched the scene in silence, slowly forming a smile of a sort that had not been seen since quite some time ago. She was standing right next to the privacy screen, with her cat ears perked up and her white coat tucked under her armpit, arms bare and the midriff exposed. It didn't take much time before Blake's amber eyes turned in the heiress' direction, sensing Weiss' gaze. The usually mellow girl beamed at Weiss and waved her hand as a greeting, and when the two of them exchanged meaningful looks and relieved smiles, they both knew they were thinking the exact same thing.

They were back home.

"C'mere, Weiss," Yang chirped after she finally won the sisterly contest of squeezing the life out of each other, with arms wide open and look so disturbingly innocent that it made Weiss back off in fear for her own life.

"No bear hugs," the heiress commanded, threatening the blonde with a finger.

"But..." A pout appeared on the blonde's face.

"I have two broken ribs, Yang."

"But!" Yang whined and tried to mimic her sister's puppy stare in hope of weakening Weiss' resolve, but to no avail – fortunately for the heiress, the brawler couldn't even hold a candle to Ruby and her mastery of the art. When it became apparent to everyone that all Yang would earn from her efforts was an arched eyebrow and ufaltering glare, she groaned in defeat. "Fiiiine. Now come and gimme that damned hug."

As it turned out, Yang was a woman of her word. Her embrace was firm, sure, but not uncomfortably so, above all else making Weiss feel protected and cared for. In a way it was much like her sister's, considerate and soothing, and yet it was not. In Yang's case it was a hug from a good friend, plain and simple. With Ruby... things were getting funny. Different. Making her more alive. Why? Weiss could not tell, and was not sure if she even cared.

In the meanwhile, Blake took advantage of the distraction that her girlfriend had unintentionally provided and silently positioned herself behind Ruby and her white-haired partner, the movement completely unnoticed by anyone. When the blonde had finally pulled away from the hug and another pair of arms encompassed both Ruby's and Weiss' necks, it was already too late for them to react.

"It's good to have you back, girls," Blake cooed, pulling the surprised duo into a warm embrace.

Yang, who had plopped down on the bedside chair, smiled at the sight, feeling like a great weight had been lifted from her chest and shoulders. She was all too well aware that none of them was in the clear just yet, that the demons of the past would follow them and the nightmares would come in the silence of the night. But right at that very moment, watching the three of her beloved teammates smiling and safe and sound was like seeing that one ray of sunshine on a cloudy day that caused it to seem all the more beautiful and bright, making you eager to learn what tomorrow would bring. It wasn't much, she knew, but it gave her hope.

They were weary and scarred, yes, but not yet broken. Come hell, come high water, never stop – as long as they had each other, they would beat every obstacle into submission and heal their wounds in peace. Either that, or her name wasn't Yang Xiao Long.

"So, how do ya feel now, Weiss?" she asked the heiress after Blake had finally released the girls from the hug and found herself a comfortable spot behind them. A pair of white brows was raised when the blonde said that, her question visibly surprising Weiss.

"I thought you'd ask Ruby first."

"Eh, she's a tough cookie." Yang chuckled, ruffling her little sister's hair, then suddenly cast Weiss a look that caused the heiress to shrink into herself. "B-sides, she just fell asleep, unlike a _certain someone_ that almost got _ripped to shreds_ , duh!" There was a hint of sharpness in her voice, but it was also easy to tell she was not angry nor annoyed, just concerned, her lilac orbs filled with worry. "Seriously, Weiss. You're our teammate and we've been worried sick."

"Yeah... my apologies," Weiss mumbled, suddenly feeling very small and barely able to maintain eye contact with the blonde. "I feel not that bad, I suppose... at least compared to yesterday's evening. Now I'm just miserable. Back then...", she looked to the side, not really knowing what to say, "well, you get the idea."

"Yeah, I think I do." Yang nodded slowly, her voice surprisingly solemn as she recalled the image of not-so-distant past. Eventually her gaze shifted towards her baby sister and her expression softened, small smirk appearing on her lips. "And you, sis? How are ya feelin' after your little one-day-long nap?"

"Hale and hearty!" Ruby chirped and threw both of her arms up in the air, only to regret that immediately as the sudden movement caused her to visibly wince in pain. When three pairs of eyes fixed on her their worried looks, Ruby chuckled and sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "...and maaaybe a lil' bit hurting all over."

"Standard package of side effects, eh?" Yang asked with a wry smile plastered on her face.

"I guess. I do feel worse than I did after Kevin, but..." Ruby shrugged dismissively. "I'm just sore and a little weak, is all." An audible growl could be heard when she said that, informing everyone present that girl's stomach was done with being neglected and demanded their immediate attention. "Yeah, and that," she giggled, pointing her finger at the culprit.

"So, breakfast time?"

"Yes please," the scythe-wielder agreed without a second thought, her hands clasped together as if she was about to beg, then proceeded to search with fervor for something in the general proximity of the bed. "Just lemme chan... ge. Where's my stuff?" she asked after a few seconds of unsuccessful investigation, sitting up straight on her bed in apparent confusion. Several mildly troubled looks later, she added: "Actually, better question: where the heck is my baby?"

"Chill, Rubes. Dad got everything. Crescent Rose included."

"And obviously forgot to leave me at least _some_ clothes so I could change." Ruby shook her head and cast a meaningful glance at the ceiling as she groaned in exasperation. "Daaad."

"Well, yeah, you know how he is." Yang chuckled. "Tell you what – screw your clothes. You're coming dressed in your PJ's; it's not like anyone is going to care. Besides, Beacon is almost empty now anyway. We'll talk, we'll eat, then we'll go and grab your stuff. Sounds good?"

"No," Ruby deadpanned and cast her an unamused look, seemingly not at all impressed by both the idea and her sister's enthusiastic, toothy grin. Before long, however, she just shook her head and giggled, melody of her voice soft and clear as she got out of the bed. "But yeah, let's roll with that."

She didn't even try to hide her smile when she led her team forward and out of the room.

They were back home.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Better late than never, eh?  
Damn, it sure did take me longer to update than I thought. At first I was being lazy, then the real life drama caught up with me, then I was being lazy again and then I kinda came to the conclusion that it might be a good idea to wait a little and see what happens in Volume 4 (and it's a damn good thing that I did so! #noregrets). I apologise for the length of this one - initially it was supposed to be two times longer, but I decided that it's been long enough since the last update and divided one large chapter into two smaller ones. On a brighter note - the second part is about halfway done, so it shouldn't take me long to update.  
Oh, yeah, I suppose I should mention that I did some minor edits to the previous chapter. Sorry, some stuff just didn't let me sleep at night, lol.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you liked it. c:

2017-01-09


	4. Meltdown

_**Chapter III: Meltdown**_

The dining hall of Beacon had always been the beating heart of the school, especially around this hour, when all the inhabitants of the Academy used to gather for their first meal of the day, filling the whole place with casual chatter and laughter. This time around, however, the usual, lively buzz that echoed in the room during the breakfasts was nothing more than a soft murmur of a few hushed voices. There were no students to be seen nor heard in this place illuminated by the morning sunlight that seeped through the eastward windows - only a few weary Huntsmen and Huntresses were present, talking quietly over their brunch. None of them paid any mind to the mildly disappointed gaze of a pair of silver eyes that silently watched them over a rim of a mug of hot chocolate.

Dressed in her deep crimson pajamas Ruby stood with her arms crossed, leaning her back against the kitchen counter. Having already finished her preparations for breakfast a while ago, she patiently waited for her companions to get their own meals ready, absentmindedly listening to their playful banter, too occupied with her thoughts to actually participate in the conversation.

The absence of the other students hit her as soon as she walked past the doorstep of the dining hall, but back then she had just shrugged that off, thinking to herself that more people would come as the time passed by. And so she waited, one minute after the other, her anxiety growing with each fleeting moment. Now, seeing that they've been here for a longer while and yet none of their friends had appeared, she began to feel just uneasy, ultimately earning a worried look from a certain blonde.

Yang gently nudged Ruby with her elbow, trying to get her attention. "Why the long face, Ru?" she asked her little sister, grabbing the teapot and pouring the amber liquid into a cup partially filled with milk.

"I just had hoped that I'd see some of our friends," muttered the silver-eyed girl, taking a sip of a hot chocolate from the mug she held in her hand. "That means everyone is in the hospital, huh?"

Yang passed the cup of tea she had just poured to her Faunus girlfriend, then smiled wryly at Ruby. "Told ya that no one's gonna care about your PJ's."

Blake thanked her with a grateful nod, taking over both the offered drink and the task of answering Ruby's question. "Yeah, most are either hospitalized or tending to their wounded... or mourning the dead, like team CNMN." She sighed and put her cup down on the tray with the rest of her breakfast. "They have already disbanded. Their leader, Claret... she sacrificed herself to buy them enough time to retreat after they got outflanked." A strange melancholy filled her amber eyes when she said these words, looking at Ruby with unusual intensity. Both pride and sadness were hidden behind Blake's gentle smile that appeared on her face as she explored various what-if scenarios in her imagination, thankful that the fate was as kind to them as it was. "Former second-years, like Coco."

A short, humorless laugh made its way through Blake's parted lips and she shook her head, her gaze downcast. "Coco. All members of team CFVY are with her now... she still can't even stand on her own, you know? According to Velvet she tries to play it cool, but... well. Neptune woke up just two days ago, too..." She glanced at Ruby; the girl was listening to Blake intently, standing almost completely still, with her head hung low and her eyes closed, taking a deep breath as the news were sinking in.

"And JNR?" Weiss chimed in, having placed the last slice of tomato onto her sandwich.

"They are well and kickin', just busy in Vale; they help older Huntsmen with securing the area and making sure that no civilian runs into a pack of stray Beowolves," Yang said quietly, her lilac eyes looking away as if in a show of shame or guilt. "Should be back home before the nighttime."

For a moment Ruby remained silent, then let out all the air from her lungs through her nose and nodded. "Thanks, Blake," was hers quiet reply. Saying nothing more, she lifted the tray with her breakfast and walked away, heading towards the less populated section of the dining hall. The remaining trio exchanged a few worried glances and then took their cue from their leader, talking among themselves as they followed a few meters behind Ruby.

"So, the Grimm are still in the city?" Weiss inquired as she trudged beside Yang, sounding a little bit more disappointed than she knew she should.

"Yeah, but from what I've heard they're more of an annoyance than a real threat at this point," said the blonde with a small shrug, seemingly not worried in the slightest. She was simply restless, torn between the desire to help people still fighting in the city and looking after her teammates, between feeling bad that she was sitting at Beacon doing nothing and being ecstatic that her little sister was finally awake. "Mostly younglings, too dumb to not pick the wrong fights. It seems that all the clever ones ran away once we've killed... well, y'know." Her voice trailed off towards the end, her expression darkening. And indeed, Weiss did not need her to explain.

"Any reports on the casualties?"

Blake shook her head, watching as Ruby ceased her walk and sat down at one of the secluded tables. "Nothing official as of yet. We've lost one safepoint and two more were breached, but that's pretty much all we know."

Weiss seated herself next to her partner. "And what about the other Kingdoms?"

"Atlas is, well, Atlas, so they obviously held up," Yang said, then both she and Blake plopped down on the bench across the table from Ruby and Weiss. "And so did Mistral, for the most part at least. Vacuo, though..."

That got Ruby concerned. "How bad is it?"

"Bad enough that you can hear people saying that there might be no Vacuo left by the end of next year," Blake replied, her voice just as flat as the pair of cat ears atop her head. "Apparently about one third of the city was leveled with the ground... Vacuo was not the most hospitable place to begin with, even when everyone had the working electricity and water in the faucet. Now... They might be unable to remain independent."

After that the silence fell around them for a few minutes, interrupted only by the quiet clanging of cutlery as the four girls ate their breakfast, each of them pondering what the future had in store for the world of Remnant. Will Vacuo rise up from their knees, or perhaps are these indeed the last days of the falling Kingdom? And if so – what will happen next?

Eventually the mood lightened a little and the small talk returned to their table; only Weiss remained quiet, completely engrossed by her thoughts, seemingly not even aware of the fact that her teammates had spoken. Her icy blue eyes stared straight ahead, their gaze unfocused and absentminded. She seemed to be literally frozen in time, absolutely passive, with the cup of coffee suspended in both of her hands an inch away from her lips.

Ruby frowned a little bit at the sight, then proceeded to wave her hand in front of her partner's face. "Team RWBY to Weiss, roger." Weiss blinked a few times when the younger girl snapped her fingers, and although no eye contact was made, it was enough for Ruby to assume that the heiress was listening. "Hey, is everything ok? You kinda spaced out a little."

"I just wonder what my mother is going to do now." Weiss said, still not looking at anything in particular. "SDC's presence is strong in Vacuo, and its Dust deposits are vital to the company. Instability of the region creates both risks and opportunities. And should Vacuo cease to exist as a country... well, things could get really interesting." She took a sip of her coffee.

"Are you gonna call her? To, y'kno, let her know that you're fine?"

The heiress shook her head, her gaze fixing on the blonde that asked the question. "No, not yet. If the situation in Vacuo is half as bad as they say, then I don't believe that SDC was not hit during the attack. It means that saying she's 'busy' would be a most severe understatement." She sighed and looked down, at her own reflection dancing on the surface of her drink. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that she already knows I'm well and awake, so there's no point in wasting her time, especially now."

"Taking it easy, eh?"

Weiss' eyes flicked back to Yang. "Oh, I don't know about that," she replied in theatrically thoughtful tone, hiding a smirk behind her cup. "I do plan to call Winter later today, after all."

"And you, Blake? Did you call your parents? How are they?"

"Happy that I'm alive and a bit mad that I signed up for, how my father aptly put it, 'a suicide mission'," Blake replied nonchalantly. "Mostly happy, though."

Ruby let out a short laugh. "Can't say I blame them."

"Yeah," Yang chuckled, nodding in an agreement. "Well, at least your folks dunno what exactly was the mission about. Our dad... let's just say that for a while I honestly thought he was gonna rip Qrow's head off as soon as we got out of the airship." She hummed softly as she rested her chin in her hand. A dreamy expression appeared on her face. "Ahh, what a sad death would that be. Lending a hand in killing the Big Bad One and surviving the ultimate battle with evil only to die by the hand of pissed off Tai."

Ruby could feel how the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. "He still did punch Qrow, huh?"

Yang grinned. "Sure he did. Dad never fails to entertain."

Weiss, too, cracked a smile, albeit a weak one. Something tightened inside her chest at the reference of Salem, suddenly making her anxious. ' _The way Yang mentioned her... don't they know? Or perhaps they do, and just don't know how to break the news to Ruby? No one has told her yet, after all...'_ The heiress cast a sideways glance at her merry partner and the knowledge of what she needed to do broke her heart all the more. ' _I'm going to hate myself for this, but of all the people... you should know the truth. And there's no point in waiting, either.'_ She took a deep breath and mustered all her resolve, clinging to the hope that Yang would not shoot the messenger, and praying that Ruby would handle the revelation well.

"About that 'ultimate' part... when I woke up, I talked with professor Ozpin for a bit..." Speaking was hard for Weiss ever since the moment she opened her mouth, but it was only after she noticed how quickly Yang's expression had changed when the difficulty truly hit her in full force, words getting stuck in her throat, almost choking her.

The look on blonde's face was one of defeat. It seemed so strange, so out of place... Weiss has never seen her like that and the sight frightened her, squeezing her insides without the sliver of mercy. Yang's smile was gone, the warmth of her eyes replaced by the sorrow, anguish and disappointment as her irises flashed red for a single heartbeat. One brief look at her was more than enough for the heiress to be painfully sure – Yang knew.

The two of them just stared at each other, none of them uttering a single a word. After what felt like an eternity of heavy silence, Yang closed her eyelids and nodded, pulled into a side hug by her girlfriend.

"She'll be back one day," she let out a hoarse whisper. "Yeah, we know. Ozpin told the two of us already."

The three pairs of eyes fixed their gaze on Ruby, each prompted to do so by a mix of both curiosity and worry. What they saw, however, was certainly not what they had expected to see.

Ruby was sorrowful, but strangely calm. The girl's jaw moved up and down as she slowly chewed a piece of a chicken cutlet, seemingly deep in thought, with her eyes staring at some distant, unspecified point behind the window in the opposite wall.

Watching her leader, Weiss found herself unable to shake off the feeling that she was not looking at someone who had just heard the most distressing news. She could sense the sadness emanating from her partner, but there was no sign of shock nor even the slightest surprise to be noticed. No; Ruby's was the face of a person who had just learned that their fears were well-founded, who was proven right the one time they wanted to be wrong.

Weiss was confused. "You don't seem all too surprised either, Ruby."

"Coz I ain't," came the answer just as simple as it was shocking.

"Wait what?!" the three girls exclaimed in unison, their sync virtually perfect. Ruby just raised one of her eyebrows, observing the trio with a gleam of mild amusement in her eyes.

Yang was the first to recover from her bewilderment. "You knew?!"

Ruby sighed, poking at her meal with a knife. "Well, suspected at least. Given what we knew about the Two Brothers or the Wizard... it just seemed, well, logical, y'kno. If anything, I'm more surprised that the three of you didn't figure that out yourselves." She gave them a long, inquisitive look, watching as the girls exchanged guilty glances. Truth be told, each and every single one of them had their suspicion; they simply lived in denial, unwilling to acknowledge that such an unwanted scenario was also a possibility. After a short while of awkward silence, their gaze returned to their leader, and Ruby's knowing smile told them that no explanations on their part were necessary. "But hey, it's not like all we did was for nothing, right? Think about it – life is priceless, no? And how many priceless lives we've saved when we took care of her, even if only temporarily?"

Yang frowned. "Many. For now. But how long will these lives last?"

"Longer." Ruby smirked. "And I'd say it's a pretty good deal." With that, she stabbed at her plate with a fork and soon enough another chunk of the cutlet disappeared within her mouth.

"Far from ideal," blurted out the blonde, only to bite her own tongue right after she saw how Ruby's smile had drooped. For a second the younger girl literally froze, the piece of silverware still held between her lips, then she turned her gaze downcast and stared at the tray that was laid in front of her, chewing slowly.

Blake shot Yang a sharp look. "Perhaps. But it seems that it was also the best deal we could get."

"I, too, had hoped for a happily ever after, Yang." A soft murmur eventually left Ruby's clenched throat. She took a deep breath, and when she finally spoke again, the bitterness and hurt in her voice actually caused everyone at the table to flinch. "I _wanted to be wrong_ about the Witch. But it seems that our life is not a fairy tale, after all. And you know what? I don't fucking care."

She looked straight into her sister's eyes with such a force that Yang almost immediately turned away. "It's a painful truth, sure, but I'm not gonna let it eat me alive. Not now. Not after all we've done. There was supposed be no tomorrow, and yet we've _changed it_ – that alone is an outcome good enough for me. A day or more than a lifetime, be it as it may; we've given everyone an opportunity to enjoy their lives just a little longer." Her glare had been gradually losing its intensity as she continued, eventually softening into a gaze both worried and caring. A delicate, warm smile found its way back onto her lips. "Might as well take it ourselves."

"She's right, Yang, and you know it."

Yang glanced at her black-haired beloved, then sighed loudly and rested her cheek on her fist. "Yeah. It's just... I'm pissed off that Oz didn't tell us sooner."

"Well, in his defense, it's not like we've ever asked," Blake remarked calmly, then snickered at the sight of the look of betrayal Yang shot her.

"It just wasn't important at the time. Y'know, 'let us focus on the present threat' and all that. We had more than enough reasons to worry as it were, even without adding more things to the plate. Besides," Ruby said, pointing at Yang with her knife, "how would you feel about the whole mission if you knew for sure that all we could do was to postpone the inevitable?"

Yang straightened up a little and opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end the words never came. Finding no good answer, she pouted and slumped onto the table with a groan of defeat, laying her head on top of her crossed arms.

Ruby smirked with a certain degree of smugness. "Case in point."

Weiss just stared at her partner in silence, completely flabbergasted, not saying a thing ever since she, Yang and Blake simultaneously expressed their own amazement. She didn't even know _what_ to say, to be honest – she expected many different outcomes, but Ruby still managed to catch her by surprise, somehow.

It were the moments like these that truly reminded her that Ruby was no longer the naive, acting without thought silly little girl she used to be. She had grown up into a young woman who Weiss not only respected and trusted, but was also proud to be a partner of; she was both the voice of reason among those who acted out of fear and the bright, unwavering flame that guided people through the darkness, giving them the courage to believe that not all hope was yet lost.

But Weiss also knew that before everything else, Ruby was just a seventeen years old girl who bore too heavy of a burden for far too long. And that knowledge worried her. If there was one thing the heiress was sure in that very moment, looking at her partner, it was that she wanted to help the silver-eyed girl with all her heart, and despite the fact that the she was not even sure if she would be able to do anything to ease Ruby's hardships, she promised to herself that she would at least try her best.

With that thought Weiss finished her contemplation, suddenly noticing that while she had been spacing out the chatter had returned to their table. She smiled at the sight, feeling just a bit more hopeful, then, after a while of listening, she managed to tune in to the conversation, before long getting carried away by its current.

Even though the prospect of Salem's return hung in heavy clouds over them, they did not let it bring them down, smiling and laughing in defiance as they talked about both everything and nothing at all.

* * *

The four of them stood in front of the entrance to the dining hall, talking quietly and enjoying what was very likely to be the last warm day of autumn. The soft breeze didn't bother them at all; it was a pleasant sensation, actually, even though the wind did carry the first breath of winter along with red and golden leaves.

"So, what now? After Ruby gets changed, I mean," Weiss asked, glancing at her pajama-clad partner. "I don't know about you, but I'd like to go for a walk."

Blake seemed willing to follow the idea, her ears twitching eagerly. "I'd not mind that. Yang?"

"Anywhere you go, Kitten." Yang laughed off the lighthearted punch Blake threw at her, then pulled the girl into a side hug.

Ruby interlaced her fingers and stretched out her arms, popping her knuckles as she did so. "Yeah, I sure could use some stretching. Count me in," she said, then sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "But I think I need a shower first, if that's okay with you...?"

"Sure, no problem. Want me to go and fetch you some clothes?"

"Yeah, if you could. Love you, sis."

"Sure you do," Yang chuckled, ruffling Ruby's hair as she strolled past her, then headed towards the ballroom. After a few steps she turned around, continuing her leave as she walked backwards. "Oh. Our old bathroom is now usable, by the way. You should shower in there. Your shampoo and the rest of the stuff are already there, in the cabin that's furthest away from the entrance."

"Okay. Thanks for the info, I guess."

Just when Yang was about to head out, she was stopped by the sight of quickly approaching heiress, who, as it seemed, was intent on not letting the blonde go alone.

The surprised look Yang gave Weiss did not remain unnoticed. "What? You know how the saying goes: you want something done, do it yourself." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And I want my weapon back."

"I told you I was sorry I forgot!"

"Speaking of weapons," Ruby chimed in, only partially because she wanted to defuse the situation, "could you also grab Crescent Rose for me while you're at it?"

Weiss' glare softened significantly as she glanced in Ruby's direction. The corners of heiress' mouth twitched ever so slightly, then she simply nodded and walked away with Yang in tow, followed by the gaze of her silver-eyed partner.

For some reason, Ruby found the sight of Weiss' elegant figure slowly fading in the distance incredibly distracting. It was Blake's voice that roused the girl from her preoccupied state, startling her a little. "You really miss your little girl, huh?"

Ruby blushed slightly and blinked a few times before she realized that the Faunus was just referring to her scythe. "Y-Yeah, you could say that." Ruby chuckled sheepishly, but soon enough her expression darkened, shifting into a more serious one. "But it's not just that. We were in constant danger for so long that now I feel... I dunno, kinda uneasy without her, I guess?"

"I think I can relate."

Ruby gave her friend a sideways look, smiling slyly at the other brunette. "Said the team's lead paranoiac."

"Hush, you," Blake snickered, playfully bumping Ruby's shoulder. Both of them cast one last glance at the silhouettes of their partners fading away in the distance, then, together, they headed towards the dorms.

"That wasn't exactly reassuring, is all I am saying."

* * *

The door closed behind her after Yang casually waltzed into the bathroom, carrying a small load of black, red and beige in her arms, with Crescent Rose and a pair of combat boots lying on top of the bunch of neatly folded clothes and towels. After one quick glance to her left, she pressed onwards, passing by the first three dim, half-transparent doors and coming to a halt in front of the one that was opaque and tinted deep red, with the image of a black, flaming rose emblazoned on the glass.

"Hey, Ru."

Yang fished out her Scroll from one of her pockets, then pressed the device against the card reader and entered a small changing room between the common space and the shower her sister was in. She placed the bundle on a short, metal bench and promptly stepped out through the rose-emblemed door, locking them back. She leaned against the crimson glass pane. "A'ight, the package got delivered. Ya done yet?"

"No," came the muffled reply.

"Soon-ish, then?"

"Nope."

"You'll use all the hot water there is at Beacon, sis."

"Don't care."

"Means no rush for us, got it," Yang muttered under her breath, chuckling. "Alright, we'll wait for you in the courtyard, next to that badass statue. Noted?"

A soft hum of acknowledgment could be heard from inside of the shower and Yang found it to be a sufficient answer. "Mkay. See you in a bit, then." With that, she walked out of the bathroom.

Outside, she was greeted by a questioning look of the heiress. Sensing a great opportunity to mess with Weiss, she said: "Whatever she's doing in there sure does feel good."

Weiss blinked rapidly a few times then blushed profusely, imagining things she knew she definitely should not have been imagining. "...What do you mean?"

One glance at the heiress' face was enough for Yang to burst out laughing. "She just likes the hot water and apparently wants it all for herself, so won't be coming out anytime soon. You little perv." Committing the image of the very red and very embarrassed heiress to her memory, Yang turned to Blake and continued, trying to keep her voice steady. "I told her that once she feels like honouring us with her presence, we'll be waiting for her in the courtyard."

"Well, to be fair, she just got in. We talked for a bit. But yeah, fine by me." A sly smile appeared on Blake's lips. "Lead the way, Firecracker."

"That's what I get for calling you 'Kitten', huh?" the blonde asked. Receiving a look both playful and defiant for the only answer, she snickered, then simply shrugged and interlocked her arm with Blake's. "Oh well, I guess it's still worth it."

The two of them started heading towards the exit. Weiss followed a bit behind them, marching very slowly, suddenly and for no apparent reason having very mixed feelings about leaving. She sighed and cast a last, uneasy glance at the door next to her, then, shaking off her premonition, she turned away and trotted in the direction of her teammates, quickly catching up with the bumblebee couple.

And so the trio walked down the hall, knowing not of the quiet sobbing that soon poured out of one of the shower cabins.

* * *

Once she heard the soft click of the doors closing, she let out a long, shaky breath of relief, releasing all the air from her lungs. She stood under the stream of pleasantly warm water, supporting herself with both hands pressed against the wall. She was trying everything to calm herself down, even though she knew that it was already way too late; the wild torrent of emotions swirled and raged inside her chest, ready to be set free and not willing to wait. Soon her eyes felt as if they were set aflame under the closed shut eyelids. She clenched her teeth and bit back the wail that tried to escape her throat. It was like trying to hold back a river - she was hopeless, but she had to endure, just for a little longer... just long enough for Blake not to be able to hear her.

Eventually the first cracks in the dam had appeared and hot tears began to trail down her cheeks. She fought the current and she fought bravely, but even though her floodgates were sturdy, they would not hold forever.

And before long they did burst wide open.

It was freeing – to finally let go of all the facades and to just cry, to be selfish for that one, single time. And so she cried the tears of sadness and tears of relief, cried for the lives wasted and innocence lost, for the heroes and victims, both nameless and known. She cried for Penny and Pyrrha, and the others who would not see the new day as they slept under the cold gravestones. She cried for those who were hurt, she cried for her team and her dad, for Jaune, Nora and Ren, for CFVY and SSSN... and for her own, torn apart self.

Part of her was happy that it was all over, but the other just wanted to scream in despair because of the price they all were forced to pay. All these deaths, all the suffering both experienced and caused... was it truly worth it? Ruby believed so. She felt she would break into pieces if she didn't. But, in the end, all she knew for sure was that they'd have to live with the consequences of their actions... and the memories of those they had lost.

She only hoped that the time would heal at least some of the wounds.

Eventually her wailing became less intense and slowly turned into quiet sobs, then into occasional sniffles as her tears began to run dry. She felt... empty, but not in a bad way; it was good to finally get all these emotions trapped within her out. Inhaling seemed to be easier now, more natural, as if a great weight was lifted from her chest. To be honest she didn't even know what caused her outburst, but she was glad it did happen. She needed it.

With her mind clearer and breathing steadied, she grabbed the bottle of her shampoo and poured the content onto her left hand, then began to lather up her hair. Once the familiar scent of roses filled the shower cabin, Ruby let out a long, relieved sigh.

She and her friends still had each other, and that's what really mattered.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

It's already after 4 AM at the time I'm typing this A/N so please, bear with me and any potential silly mistakes.

It took me two months. Two. Effing. Months. I hate myself.

Well, that's not quite true. I mean, I still hate myself, but I suppose there are some attenuating circumstances for my tardiness. First of all, it's only a half – well, a bit more - of the monster I've written; total word count was sitting at freakin' 8484 words, so I decided to split it up into two chapters. I supposed it would be easier to 'digest' that way, but it'll also allow me to build some buffer and draw a proper cover for the story. The good news? The next chapter is already done and will be posted within a week, along with the cover. Yay!

The truth is, I've written the whole thing in the past two weeks – hell, I've typed more than 1200 words just today (and lost my sanity somewhere along the way). Why did I begin so late, you ask? Well, partially because I'm a lazy bum, but there were also... other reasons. Long story short, I had a lot of things on my plate lately – burying my godfather among them.

Well, anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I am actually kind of excited to post it, you know? Mostly because of the last part. If you could spare a moment and write a short review I'd really appreciate it; I promise I'll read and consider them all!

At the end I would like to thank both Alynna Peta and MariZainforth for their reviews (you truly made my day!) and Darkbring3r for answering my language-related questions and providing me with reasons to take sanity breaks (in other words, posting updates to his own stories). And bearing with me talking off his ear.

See you in a week!

 **Total offtop:** has any of you playread the yuri visual novel "Flowers – le volume sur printemps"? No? Then don't. Unless you want to be backstabbed right in the heart and get to feel the knife twisting inside your chest for the good measure, then to join me among those who are condemned to wait a few years in the cliffhanger limbo till the next three volumes are finally translated into English.

You have been warned.

2017-03-04


	5. Together

**_Chapter IV: Together_**

The area felt almost completely deserted as the trio was making their way through the campus, seeing no one but an occasional worker or a lone Huntsman performing the guard duty.

"It's kind of impressive how quickly are the repairs progressing, even with professor Goodwitch's help," Yang pondered aloud.

"True," Weiss agreed somberly. "And yet it seems that the work isn't even halfway done."

"Yeah. It does remind you how much of a ruin Beacon was when we took it back, doesn't it."

Even though the three of them would like to say that 'ruin' was nothing more than a poetic exaggeration, they were unable to – that was simply the truth. Once the Dragon – or Kevin, as Yang, Ruby and Nora had unanimously dubbed him - was gone and the other Grimm have fallen back, they all were free to witness the scale of destruction that was caused during the time the Academy was in the enemy's hands. No classroom was spared, no corridor remained unmarred; it was as if the Grimm were intent on not only finding the Relic, but also desecrating this beacon of hope as much as they possibly could. Even at this moment, looking at the now kind-of-presentable buildings around them, the three members of team RWBY couldn't help but recall the memories of the toppled walls and collapsed rooftops.

It was the sight of an elegant, blonde-haired professor heading in their direction at a brisk pace that roused them from their gloomy reverie.

"Good day, professor Goodwitch," said three different voices.

"Good day to you, girls," the woman replied, bowing her head politely in a greeting. For a while it seemed that she was going to simply pass by, minding her own business, but then she suddenly stopped and turned as if to address them, and Yang could have sworn that for a split second she saw Glynda Goodwitch actually _smirking_. "How was your last night, miss Schnee? Restful, I hope?"

"Oh." Sparks of understanding flashed in Weiss' eyes as they widened, her usually pale face flushing bright red in embarrassment. "Oh. Yes, it was. Thank you, professor. And my apologies."

Even though the professor managed to keep a straight face, she was still unable to hide the soft gleam of amusement behind her glasses. The woman nodded, accepting Weiss' words and bidding the three of them goodbye, then fixed the eyeglasses on her nose and moved past them, resuming her walk towards the CCT Tower.

Once the silhouette of their teacher waned in distance, Yang looked at Weiss, feeling a tad bit confused. "What was _that_ about? Coz' it felt as if she was telling a joke and I kinda missed the gist of it."

"You talked to professor Goodwitch yesterday?"

"Yes, I did. Ozpin sent her to check up on me. She brought me painkillers and something to eat, then we talked for a while..." Her blush deepened, then she mumbled something so quietly that Yang couldn't even catch a single word. Blake, however, could, and snorted loudly in a mostly unsuccessful attempt to suppress her laughter, causing Weiss to glare daggers at her.

"What did ya say? Couldn't hear you," Yang asked, but after seeing that the heiress was completely unwilling to repeat herself, she turned to Blake, hoping that the girl would save the day.

The Faunus glanced at Weiss, smiling in a cheeky, very cat-like way. "Quoting: 'and I might have dozed off on her'."

For a while Yang just stared blankly at the heiress, as if she was not ready to believe Blake's words without some sort of a confirmation on Weiss' part.

"It's the painkillers!" the white-haired girl exclaimed angrily in a hopeless effort to defend her dignity, also giving the blonde all the proof she needed to start cackling.

"You _fell asleep_ on _Glynda._ Oh dear," Yang muttered. "You got a death wish, Weiss?"

The heiress huffed at that and, adamant about not dignifying the blonde's comment with a response, pressed forward, leaving the other two behind.

"Hey, Weiss, wait!" Yang called, the hilarity still apparent in her voice. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Weiss ceased her stride and glanced in the other girl's direction, giving the culprit an unamused look. "It would've worked better if you weren't still laughing."

Yang raised her hands above her head in surrender. "Alright, alright, you've got me, I'm not." She admitted, coming a few steps closer. "But I didn't want you to be angry with me, either."

Weiss' expression softened a bit. She wasn't really angry, just embarrassed, and she knew that there was nothing but sincerity to Yang's words. Not willing to admit it aloud, she simply rolled her eyes in a gesture of ceasefire and turned away, resuming her walk at a much slower pace and letting the other two catch up with her.

* * *

It didn't take them much time to reach the statue in front of the main entrance to the Academy. There, they sat on the pedestal, made themselves relatively comfortable and waited for half an hour or so, enjoying the pleasant silence between friends.

Eventually one of Blake's cat ears twitched a bit and the girl stirred, her eyelids fluttering open as she raised her head from its resting place atop Yang's shoulder. "I think she's coming."

Yang glanced in the direction of the school. "Took her long enough."

"Might be because she had company," said Blake, causing the other two to give her a look both curious and confused. Before any of them could even begin to question her, however, the main gate of the Academy was opened and Ruby came through the doorway, accompanied by the familiar silhouette of the old Headmaster.

The two had noticed the waiting trio immediately and slowed their pace, exchanging a few last words within the earshot of the girls.

"...even if there will be no victory in the end, even if we have to lose sooner or later... Every person we save, every life we protect is a gift worth fighting for," Ruby spoke as she was descending down the steps, her gaze fixed on the pavement. When they reached the foot of the stairs, the girl came to a halt and looked up, straight into the Headmaster's eyes. "So, let's make sure that this flame lingers just a little longer, shall we?"

Ruby's smile was contagious, even to Ozpin. "Yes, Ruby. We shall." He glanced in the direction of the rest of the team. "Well, I think I have taken enough of your time for now. Have a good day, girls." Having said that, he bowed his head to bid them farewell and turned back, soon disappearing within the Academy.

With the Headmaster gone, Ruby was quick to close the distance between her and her friends. Her hair was still tied in a ponytail that cascaded down the girl's left collarbone, but she traded the bland, generic hairband for her custom one, decorated with two artificial rose buds and a pair of crow feathers. She wore a beige high-neck decolletage blouse that accentuated her waistline quite nicely, with scarlet hem and cuffs. Its long, puffed sleeves were tied right under her armpits with blood-red ribbons, creating small bulges of excess material around her shoulders, not unlike ones that appeared right above her wrists. The blouse itself was very similar in design to the one Ruby took with herself on her journey to Mistral, with one key difference: it was slightly shorter, and without a corset or a waist cincher it showed just enough of Ruby's stomach to make Weiss painfully aware of all the blood suddenly rushing to her head and cheeks. There was one novelty about the way she looked – her cape was folded and tucked behind her belt, flowing freely down the back of her left thigh. Along with her blouse, a pair of dark gray leggins and her combat boots it all made up an outfit that was in Weiss' opinion both sexy and incredibly cute.

"Lookin' good, Ru!" Yang exclaimed enthusiastically, and for once Weiss couldn't agree with her more.

"Thanks," Ruby responded to her sister's toothy grin with a slightly bashful smile of her own. "So, are there any specific places you'd like to go?"

Weiss thought for a while, but drew a blank. "No, I don't think so." She glanced at Yang and Blake, who both simply shrugged.

Ruby crossed her arms and pressed a fist to her mouth, pondering. After a few moments of soft humming an idea sparked in girl's mind and she smirked, then without a single word she turned away and started marching in the direction of the landing platforms, gesturing her teammates to stand up and follow her.

"So, what were you two talking about? I mean, if it's not a secret," Yang asked after a while had passed.

"No, guess it's not. Not like I'd keep anything important from you," Ruby assured, giving her teammates a serious look. It was then that Weiss, who was walking closest to their leader, noticed that the girl's eyes seemed to be slightly bloodshot. Before the heiress could be sure, however, Ruby had taken notice of Weiss' watchful stare and averted her gaze. "It was not that different from the talk Weiss had with him yesterday. He asked how am I feeling, how are the three of you faring, stuff like that. Then I asked him a few questions of my own."

The heiress shot Ruby a look that was part-worried and part-suspicious, making a mental note to interrogate the girl once the two of them would be alone.

"Learned anything new?"

"A thing or two, yeah, but nothing really worth mentioning. I was just curious about what happened after I've passed out." She glanced at her teammates and gradually her expression changed into a more serious one, almost troubled. "Aaaanyway, he also wanted me to speak with you about... well, our future at Beacon. Whether or not we want to be enrolled again... and whether or not we still want be Huntresses at all."

Weiss, Blake and Yang stopped dead in their tracks, staying a bit behind their leader.

"He wanted you to know that no matter what you decide, he won't hold it against you..." Ruby paused and ceased her stride, then looked back at her teammates with both pain and sincerity in her eyes, "a-and neither will I."

"Ruby, shut up," Weiss snapped at Ruby, then pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. She began to walk slowly in the younger girl's direction. "Dolt. Being a member of this team was _the_ best thing that has ever happened to me. I have great teammates and the best leader I could have ever asked for. True, we've faced some waking nightmares along the way, and had more close calls than I care to count, but it doesn't change how I feel about being a Huntress. It's the right thing to do, and I'm willing to pay the price that comes with it as long as I have the three of you by my side. And in case that alone wasn't reason enough..."

Having already closed the distance between them, Weiss pulled Ruby into a hug.

"This is my place in our world. Here, beside those few who see and accept me for who I really am, who care about me, Weiss, not my family's name. I used to believe that I had no need for friends, but you've managed to change my mind. And now you're stuck with me for better or worse, because I'm not going to just give that up."

" _We_ are not going to just give that up," Blake corrected her.

"That's right. We're way too cool for that," Yang agreed. Soon a smug smirk appeared on her face, giving the other three a moment to brace for what was to come. "Besides, if I didn't back off after the situation got _out of hand_ , then I'm sure as hell not going to do that now."

The trio just stared at her with disbelief, their eyes darting back and forth from Yang's face to her bionic arm. Her grin grew ever larger with each passing moment of their silence.

"Did you just..." Weiss finally muttered, staring at the blonde with her mouth slightly ajar. Ruby just facepalmed, seemingly not willing to give her sister the satisfaction of a verbal response.

Blake let out a long, loud groan. "You're impossible."

"Part of the reason you love me so much."

Coming to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to simply ignore the blonde, Weiss turned to her silver-eyed partner. "I guess it settles it, then. Did he tell you when exactly should we answer?"

"Nope," Ruby chirped, popping the 'p'. She started to slowly move away, and her friends soon followed. "He said that we can 'take our time and think about it'. _But_ , seeing that there's apparently not much to discuss, I say we'll go and pay him a visit... tomorrow morning?" She suggested, glancing at her teammates in search of their approval.

"And how morning is that morning of yours, exactly?" Yang questioned, eyeing her sister warily.

"Around 10 A.M.?"

The blonde eased to that. "Then it's an idea I can get behind."

"Me too," The Faunus agreed.

"No objections. Ruby?" Weiss called, getting her partner to look at her. "Do you have any specific destination in mind, or are we just walking for the sake of walking?"

"I do, actually," Ruby replied with a playful smirk tugging at her lips, obviously not willing to let go of the suspense. "You'll see."

And so the three girls had no other choice but to follow her into the unknown, curious about where she would lead them. Soon they passed through the southernmost landing platform to get across the river and, before long, the four of them found themselves well off the beaten track, with Ruby guiding her friends along the edge of the cliff.

The walk was neither very long nor eventful, but none of them was complaining about boredom as they shuffled a few feet behind their leader, chatting among themselves and – especially in Weiss' case – enjoying the views. Since the moment Ruby started heading south, they all had a pretty good idea where she was leading them, but no one said a word, wondering how different would that place be after whole two years. Eventually, after reaching the top of a small hill, their destination appeared within the eyeshot.

"It's been a while since our last visit," the Faunus hummed, looking into the distance and recollecting the memory that dated all the way back to their first – and so far the only – summer spent at Beacon.

There, right next to the edge of the precipice, stood a single, old tree, a vanguard of the nearby forest. One thing about it made it really unusual – instead of simply growing vertically, a part of its trunk was almost lying on the ground, parallel to the cliffside, then suddenly it sprouted upwards and backwards, developing into an almost perfect "V" shape. Despite its proximity to the Academy, not many people knew of this place, and even less bothered to ever come here; those few who did – team RWBY among them – liked to simply sit there and relax, enjoying the solitude and the shadow the tree provided.

As they came closer and walked into the shade under the branches, Ruby finally stopped, watching her teammates' reactions with a satisfied smirk dancing on her lips. Birds chirped happily amidst the foliage of gold and red above their heads as the girls were looking around, taking in the views and comparing what they saw with their memories.

"I completely forgot about this place."

"Yeah, me too," Weiss admitted as she grazed the bark with her fingers, gazing up and admiring the play of light among the autumn leaves. After a while, she moved a bit closer to the edge of the cliff and let her eyes wander freely, savoring the enchanting moment. Somewhere along the way, a smile had crept onto her lips, getting brighter as more time passed. At some point she noticed that Ruby stood right beside her, watching the heiress expectantly, as if waiting for her to say something. Corners of Weiss' mouth twitched a bit. "A fine choice of scenery, if I do say so myself."

Ruby beamed at that.

"That's true,"agreed Blake, who had already seated herself on the trunk. "It's even more beautiful than I remembered it to be."

"Yeah. Autumn does that to trees." Ruby settled next to the Faunus, then looked at Weiss and, patting the spot right beside her with her hand, prompted the heiress to sit. Seeing no reason not to, Weiss drove Myrtenaster into the ground and eagerly complied. In the meanwhile Yang plopped on the ground behind them, leaning her back against Blake's.

The four of them spent the next hour or so on talking between themselves, discussing matters both important and not important at all. The conversation flowed effortlessly, shifting smoothly from one topic to the other as the sun made its way through the clear sky. It would have lasted even longer if not for the sake of Blake, who - after bravely fighting a hopeless battle against her own tiredness for quite some time - finally cracked and let out a long, stifled yawn of defeat, trying to hide it behind her hand.

Despite girl's best effort to conceal her drowsiness, Ruby noticed the yawn immediately. "Sleepy?"

"A bit, yes." Blake nodded, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Being concussed is not fun, let me tell you."

"Blake?" Yang called from behind. Then, once her partner turned to face her, she pulled the unsuspecting, squealing Faunus off the impromptu bench and onto the grass. "Comfy?" the blonde asked, grinning as she looked in the amber eyes of the girl lying in her lap.

"Now _that_ was uncalled for." Blake muttered, glaring at her girlfriend with feigned anger. Soon, however, she could feel her resolve melting away as a gentle hand landed on top of her head, scratching behind one of her cat ears.

"Probably. But that's not what I asked about."

Unable to hold the facade any longer, Blake snickered and rolled her eyes playfully. "Yes, I'm comfy. Though a bit of a heads-up would've been appreciated. I could have kicked Ruby."

"Oh, you did kick me alright," laughed the silver-eyed Huntress. "But don't worry about that."

Blake glanced in the direction of Ruby and Weiss, who both seemed to be thoroughly amused, and gave the younger of them an apologetic smile. "Hey, would it be okay with you two if I took a little nap?"

"Sure, nap away."

"Thanks." With Ruby's blessing, the girl closed her eyelids and made herself more comfortable in the lap of her personal heater, embracing the call of the warm and inviting darkness. Between the soft whisper of the wind dancing amongst the leaves and the most pleasant touch of Yang's fingers, it didn't take her long to drift off to blissful sleep.

"You two want something to eat? I've got some snacks," Yang asked Ruby and Weiss after a longer while of silence, nudging the bag she brought with herself with her elbow.

"Not at the moment, thank you."

"Ditto. Eating too much after more than a day and a half of not eating at all probably wouldn't be the wisest of ideas," Ruby said, then got up from her seat and arched her back, popping her spine with a loud moan. "Hey, Weiss, could you stand up for a moment?"

Weiss raised a brow at her partner but obliged without a complaint, watching patiently as Ruby pulled her cloak from behind her belt, then unfolded it and began covering the grass in front of their make-do bench with the scarlet material. After a while, apparently satisfied with the result, the silver-eyed girl placed her folded weapon on the ground and then plopped on top of the makeshift blanket.

"Much better." Ruby let out a contented sigh as she leaned against the tree, placing her right elbow onto the trunk behind her. Weiss, not needing any invitation, sat right next to her. "For a moment I considered driving Crescent Rose into the ground behind us, so we could use the shaft to lean our backs on." Ruby glanced at Weiss, who seemed to be trying really hard not to laugh. "It could have worked, y'kno?"

Weiss just sighed hopelessly and snickered, then shifted on her spot a little and rested her head on top of her partner's shoulder, finding it to be a very comfortable position. Not minding Weiss' action in the slightest, Ruby simply smiled.

And so they remained for the next few hours, filling their time with chatter, playful banter and long moments of comfortable silence. Eventually the shadows started to grow and the sun lowered over the western horizon, bathing the four friends and the world around them in a golden light.

The city of Vale stood in the distance, glittering in the sunset. There was a strange similarity between the capital and the four of its defenders that were resting at the cliffs of Beacon Academy - they all were wounded and scarred, but their will remained unbroken; in time, they would heal themselves and live on, even greater than they were before.

At some point, Ruby let her head fall on top of Weiss'. Despite all doubts and worries, she found herself at peace, surrounded by her teammates. She knew that whatever the tomorrow would bring, they would face it without fear – together.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Alright, here it is – the second part of the monster I've written, along with the new cover for the story. And yes, the correlation between the content of this chapter and the scene depicted on the cover might or might not be related to the true reason why I decided to split this chapter into two parts.

I uploaded the cover image in full resolution on my DeviantArt page, should anyone want to take a better look. Just type _terkontar dot deviantart dot com_ in your browser or google "terkontar deviantart" and you should be able to find me without a problem.

As for the chapter itself... it's a bit transitional, is it not? I'm really sorry for that and I hope that the lack of things happening didn't disappoint you too much. At this moment I'm planning to take a day or two of a break, then, once I regain my sanity, I'll immediately get back to writing. When am I going to post the next chapter? Well, I don't want to jinx myself this time, so all I'm gonna say is this: I'll try to get it finished as soon as I can.

If you liked this story so far and have a bit of time to spare then please, consider writing a review – they might not seem like much, but they truly make writing this story feel all the more worthwhile. Critique is also appreciated!

 **GrnDrgnzrd:** Well, things would probably get pretty damn awkward should Weiss have stayed. But you were indeed right to assume that she'd find out eventually.

2017-03-09


	6. Bedtime talks

_**Chapter V: Bedtime talks**_

"I suppose we should head back, huh?" Ruby asked, bumping her partner lightly with her head. "Before the doctors freak out and start searching for you."

Weiss looked wistfully at the fiery disk hanging low over the western horizon. As much as she'd like to stay longer and watch the sunset, she knew they really should get going back to Beacon. "Mhm," she hummed.

Ruby stood up from the ground and helped the heiress to do the same. "Well, Yang, time to wake up your girlfriend," she said, stretching herself.

Yang smirked, leaning over the Faunus sleeping in her lap. "You heard the lady. Wake up, my love."

It was a poor choice of words.

Before Yang could even blink, Blake was already at her throat, pressing the blade of Gambol Shroud against blonde's skin, her gaze completely absentminded and face contorted in a mix of rage and panic. After a painfully long and intense split second, the spark of recognition twinkled in the amber eyes as they widened in surprise. "Yang," Blake whispered, then her shock turned to pure horror as the realization of what she had just done sunk in. Her sword slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, her fingers suddenly gone numb. "I'm so sorry, I d-didn't mean to, I just... just..."

Yang interrupted her, pulling the girl on the verge of tears into an embrace. "It's okay, Blake. It's okay. Let's just go home."

The other half of team RWBY just stood there, heartbroken, watching silently as Yang kept on gently stroking the head of the girl she held in her arms, repeatedly whispering 'it's okay' like some sort of a mantra. After some time the blonde managed to calm Blake down, but even then she didn't let go of her straightaway, wanting to soothe her partner as much as she could.

Ruby glanced to the side and her gaze met with Weiss'. Neither of them needed any words to understand what the other thought and felt.

* * *

The girls separated after making it to Beacon, settling that they'd meet again in an hour in the dining hall; Blake and Yang headed towards the ballroom, where they had been sleeping the previous night, while the other pair went back to the makeshift infirmary.

Ruby was sitting on Weiss' bed and texting with Yang when the door to the room opened and the heiress walked inside, her white hair still a bit wet after the shower. Weiss threw a sweeping glance at her surroundings, then, after seeing that the doctor still hadn't come and she and her partner would be alone for a while, she turned her eyes towards Ruby and looked at the girl suspiciously.

Once she noticed it, Ruby frowned. "Is something wrong, Weiss?"

"You tell me." The heiress stepped closer, then took a seat on the bed next to the one her partner was sitting on, watching Ruby intensely. "You have had bloodshot eyes earlier today."

"Oh." The brunette tensed a bit, then looked away. "Yeah, I guess I have."

"And I would not be wrong to assume that it was not because of the shampoo?"

"No, you wouldn't."

Although her partner's answers were not very enthusiastic to say the least, Weiss decided to push her luck and stop beating around the bush. "Were you crying?"

"You ask questions you already know the answers to, Weiss," Ruby remarked, smiling wryly at the heiress. "But yeah, I was."

"Was it because of something Ozpin had told you?"

"Nope. It was before I talked to him, when I was taking the shower."

Weiss' heart sank a bit at these words. ' _I should have trusted my gut and not leave,'_ she thought bitterly. ' _Then again, what would I have been able to do...?'_ "Then why?"

"And here's the thing: I don't know. Was it because I was tired? Relieved? Happy? Sad that even though we did win, there were so many who didn't make it, or because those I care for most were hurt, sometimes by my own actions?" Ruby let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head and running a hand through her hair. "Overload, I suppose, but your guess is as good as mine. I think I needed it, though. To take some things off my chest."

Weiss gave her friend a concerned look. "Should I be worried? Because _I am_ worried."

"No, I don't think so," Ruby said, laughing softly. A smile – a genuine smile this time, and one full of warmth - once again appeared on her lips. "But hey, thanks."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I feel better now than I did in the morning, actually," Ruby assured, then shot her partner a sideways glance. "Just don't mention it to Yang, okay? She's gonna flip otherwise, and I think that neither of us wants her to whine all day about her 'big sis sense' not tingling when it should have. She had a bad enough day as it is."

Weiss agreed, albeit she'd be lying if she said that she had no mixed feelings about it. Just when the heiress was about to ask Ruby if she knew when the doctor was supposed to arrive, the door to the classroom-turned-infirmary opened once again and a relatively short, dark-skinned woman with navy-blue hair entered the room.

The newcomer bowed her head, greeting the girls. "Good evening, miss Schnee. Miss Rose."

"Good evening once again, doctor Grapes." Ruby hesitated for a while, then pointed at the exit with her thumb. "Umm... Should I leave?"

"No; technically you're still my patient, and I'd like to examine you before signing your release." The woman smiled at the two of them, then opened the purse she held in her hands. "Well, then. Shall we begin the checkup?"

* * *

Finally, after various examinations accompanied by a pretty regular interview, the doctor put the last of her medical instruments inside her bag and closed it. "That would be all. If you don't mind me prying, what are your plans for the few upcoming weeks, miss Schnee?"

That was a very good question, and one the heiress had no solid answer to. "I don't know yet. I'd like to stay with my teammates for as long as I can, but I'm yet to figure out how." To say the least, Ruby was very pleased with Weiss' answer.

"I see," the woman said, then turned to look at Ruby. "Well, miss Rose, in this situation I implore you to take good care of your partner."

The girl blinked a few times, as if offended by the doctor's words. "I will," Ruby replied coolly. Then, swallowing her pride, she sighed and asked: "What should I know?

And so the doctor spent the next few minutes explaining Ruby how to proceed once Weiss was left in her care. The woman spoke of the importance of breathing exercises in case of someone with a fractured rib, advised how to minimize the risk of permanent scarring, how to recognize if Weiss should be allowed to perform intensive physical activity, and so on. When she was done, Ruby asked her a few questions of her own.

"Is there a risk that the wound opens?"

Doctor Grapes nodded. "Theoretically. That being said, I don't think it's likely to happen. Miss Schnee is healing fast. Freakishly fast, even," the woman glanced a bit nervously at the heiress, "if you don't mind me saying so."

Weiss raised her eyebrows. "I don't, but... what do you mean by that?"

"While it's true that your wounds were pretty shallow – thankfully not deep enough to reach any vital organs – the Beowolf's claws still tore through your skin and abdominal muscles. The fact that you're already able to get up on your own is... most unusual, miss Schnee. And that remains true _even if_ we ignore the fact that you are able to move around without much of an issue," the woman said. "When one's body is under the stress of recovering after a significant blood loss or fighting an illness, one's ability to generate Aura is significantly reduced – even more so if the patient is unable to be properly nourished."

"Meaning I should not be able to generate enough Aura to heal so quickly, correct?"

"Yes. I'd expect you to be practically _bedridden_ for at least two more days, should you have been healing at a 'normal' rate" The frown on doctor's forehead slowly dissipated and the woman smiled at Weiss. "In meanwhile your Aura readings were somehow not only way higher than they should be, but not that far off from those of a healthy person; in fact, yesterday morning we even decided that there's no point in keeping you connected to the IV any longer. In a few days we should be able to safely remove the stitches."

Ruby decided to cut in. "Do you have any ideas as to what could have caused this?"

"Sadly, no. I'm afraid that we are indeed clueless." Miss Grapes let her gaze fall to the floor, as if she was actually slightly embarrassed to admit such a thing. "It's not something without a precedence, but every time it has happened the cause was completely different – if we managed to find one at all, that is. Truth be told, the healing aspect of Aura is a bit of a mystery even to us, doctors. Seeing that each person's Aura is vastly different, there's just so many variables..." For a while it seemed that the woman was going to continue, but then she stopped herself and smiled sheepishly, not wanting to bore the girls with a lengthy monologue. "In any case, we'd like to keep miss Schnee under an observation for at least one more night. You, however," she said, turning towards Ruby, "are free to join the rest of your teammates, if you wish."

"If Weiss has nothing against it, I'd prefer to stay here for tonight."

The heiress glanced at Ruby, feeling corners of her mouth twitch a little. "I wouldn't mind that."

"Very well. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll attend to my other patients. Have a nice evening." The woman bowed her head and walked out of the infirmary after the girls bid her farewell.

Once the door to the room closed, Weiss cast Ruby a serious look. "You don't have to stay with me, you know."

The girl just shrugged, smiling brightly at the heiress. "Sure. But I want to. You're my partner, after all." She got up from the bed she was sitting on and gestured Weiss to do the same, then began moving towards the exit. "Now come, Yang and Blake will be waiting for us."

And so Weiss followed after Ruby, a silly grin present on her face as she walked behind her leader.

* * *

Team RWBY was united once again, sitting at one table with the unexpected company of Jaune, Ren and Nora, who all had just returned from Vale. Hugs had been given aplenty, then the friends began chatting and catching up, telling each other how their day went. Ruby and her team mostly listened, not having much of interest to say themselves, while the members of JNR were taking turns in describing their visit to the city.

"Long story short, it was not hard, just tedious. Like cleaning up a very, very large room," Jaune stated, wrapping up his team's tale. To Ruby's and her teammates' pleasant surprise, it seemed that in general the situation in Vale looked far better than they had feared – while some places closest to the Academy and Forever Fall forest were nothing more than a pile of rubble, most of the city was in fairly good shape, at least if you ignored the broken windows, occasional demolished building, toppled lampposts and such.

"You can say that again," Nora groaned, prying her eyes away from the Huntsmen and Huntresses slowly filling up the room. "At one point I was, like, 'Hey, Jaune, do you see these three Ursai to our left? Yeah? Great. Could you take care of 'em? Coz' I got to tie my shoelaces.' "

Ruby gave Jaune a curious look, then snickered once he confirmed Nora's words with a solemn nod.

Yang smirked too, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "I feel kinda bad that I wasn't there to help you guys."

"Well, Weiss, Blake and I won't be of much help for the next few days," the scythe-wielder spoke, "but you're free to go with them tomorrow if you want, Yang. And if they'll have you."

"Why not?" Nora grinned, looking at Jaune and Ren. Neither of them appeared to be opposed to the idea.

Yang, on the other hand, seemed to be quite apprehensive, judging by how she sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "Uh, actually... you have noticed that I was not wearing Ember Celica today, no?" she asked, rolling up her sleeves and showing to everyone that her left wrist was indeed bare. After a few seconds of rummaging through her bag, she fished out her gauntlet and put it on, then tried to arm it. For a moment the metal of her weapon had sprung to life, then a loud clang could be heard and all the movement stopped as Ember Celica froze mid-transformation. "Well, that's the reason. It's kinda jammed and I haven't gotten around to repairing it yet. Hell, I'm not even sure what's wrong."

The demonstration caused Ruby to cringe a bit. "Want me to take a look?"

Yang waved her hand dismissively, folding her gauntlet and letting it disappear within her bag. "Nah, I got it. I was going to stay anyway. Someone has to keep an eye on you, after all. And to make sure that Blake will stay away from her books." Blake pouted at these words, causing the blonde to chuckle. Pulling the grumpy Faunus closer, Yang turned to face the three members of JNR. "So, who is the Huntsman you got assigned to?"

Jaune took a sip of tea from his cup. "It's your father, actually. It seems that he, uh, asked specifically for the three of us."

"Let me guess: he wanted to use the opportunity and interrogate you about the mission."

The boy laughed nervously. "I wouldn't say 'inter...'" The way both Ruby and Yang stared at him sent a clear message that it would be for the best if he simply spoke the truth. "Yes."

The two sisters looked at each other.

"Should we tell Qrow to stay away from dad and lay low for a while?"

Yang thought about Ruby's suggestion for a while, then grinned widely. "Nah."

The main door of the dining hall opened and Blake turned towards the noise, curious about the identity of the newcomer. A small smirk crept onto her face when she recognized a now-familiar silhouette of a certain blonde Huntsman entering the room. "Speak of the devil..." Prompted by her words, the rest of the group also glanced in the direction of the entrance.

Suddenly an emptiness had taken the spot beside Blake where her leader had been sitting just a heartbeat ago. A gust of wind blew past the Faunus and less than a second later Ruby materialized, seemingly out of thin air, right in front of her father, then threw herself at him and almost tackled the poor man to the ground.

After his initial surprise has passed, Taiyang returned the hug, laughing. "Sheesh, Ru, do you want your old man to turn gray way before his time?" Pulling away slightly, he looked down at his daughter. He was smiling, but the concern was clearly visible in his eyes. "How are you feeling, kiddo?"

"Sore, but I'll live." Ruby's grin waned slightly. "Um... Are you angry?"

Tai chuckled. "A bit, yeah. But mostly proud. And really, really relieved."

"I'm sorry that I left without telling you anything," Ruby mumbled, burying her face in her dad's shirt.

"Well, you should be. It's the second time you pulled that stunt on me. Why, of all Summer's skills and traits, did you also have to inherit your mom's uncanny ability to scare me shitless," Taiyang said in a half-jesting manner, getting a snort of laughter out of Ruby. He sighed heavily and tightened his embrace, patting the top of his child's head. "Eh, no matter. I don't know how in the world did you manage to do that, but all of you kids are safe and that's what is important. Now let's grab me something to eat and then we can join your friends; there's no point in keeping them waiting."

The Huntsman headed towards the kitchen and Ruby tagged along, keeping her father company and talking his ear off. The two of them reappeared in a few minutes, approaching the rest of the group.

"Hi everyone," Taiyang greeted the gang and sat at the table next to Ren, while Ruby returned to her place between Blake and Weiss. "And I know I've said that already, but good job, three of you," he spoke, looking at Jaune and his teammates. "I actually felt bad about dragging you into the cleaning up duty; you certainly deserve to rest for a bit after all you've been through."

Yang smiled slyly, placing her chin on her hand. "Oh, really? I thought you were glad to take the opportunity and interrogate them about our little field trip."

The Huntsman blinked a few times in a quick succession, surprised that he was outed so soon. "That would explain why Ruby asked me not to kill your uncle when we went to the kitchen," he deadpanned. He raised his hands in the air, grinning widely. "Guilty as charged. I meant what I said, though. I know you want to help and I appreciate it, but I do think that all seven of you should take it easy for now." He turned to Ruby. "I hope that at least you and your team were lying down today?"

"Pretty much. We went for a walk and then hanged out at the cliffs for the rest of the day, south from the landing pads."

"Next to that old tree, right?" Taiyang asked, then knitted his eyebrows. "You should not leave the campus, you know? _She_ might be dead, but that doesn't mean her lackeys can't try to hurt you."

"Actually, it _is_ on the campus grounds, and within the guarded area," Ruby corrected with a smug look on her face, but her expression quickly became more serious when she saw that her father was neither amused nor convinced. She sighed heavily. "Look, dad. I know you're worried, and rightfully so, but the targets painted on our backs will probably remain there till the end of our lives. We can't just hide forever, nor let the fear and paranoia to control us. Sure, going at the cliffs was riskier than staying in the buildings, but Ozpin said we should be fine as long as we don't go too far away from the school. There were at least three Huntsmen on guard duty within six hundred feet radius, and we were armed – well, everyone except Yang, anyway." Taiyang opened his mouth and was about to speak, but Ruby silenced him. "And before you say anything - yes, we might not be in peak condition, but we're not defenseless, either; we can still whoop butts if need be."

"And it's not like you couldn't be attacked at the school, I suppose..." he muttered, rubbing his face. "Dang it, Ru."

"Well, Beacon was infiltrated two years ago and you had an insider at Signal during the battle of Vale, so yeah, it's also a possibility," Ruby agreed somberly. "We'll have to defend ourselves if someone goes after us – there's no way around it. But hey, maybe the baddies will lay low and leave us alone for the time being. I sure wouldn't complain."

Yang raised her hand, signaling that she had something to say. "Two things. First, I'm always armed if I'm _arm-ed._ Second: there were _what_?!" Weiss seemed to be just as surprised by the mention of Huntsmen as Yang was.

Blake quirked her eyebrows. "You guys haven't noticed the guards?"

"Blake, dear, I'd rather ask how the hell the two of you _did_ notice them."

The group talked for a bit over their late dinner, discussing both the future of Remnant and various trivial matters. The more time had passed, the less Jaune, Nora and Ren were participating in the conversation, eventually beginning to have troubles with staying awake. Wishing everyone good night, they took their leave, waved off by Ruby and her teammates.

Once the door of the dining hall closed behind team JNR, Taiyang clasped his hands and grinned, turning towards the girls. "So... Weiss, Blake, tell me something. Ruby mentioned that the four of you want to continue studying at Beacon, but before the new academic year begins... do you have any plans for your, err, extended vacations? Five months is quite a lot of time."

"Can't say I have, no."

Blake glanced at her girlfriend, who shook her head ever so slightly. "Me neither," the Faunus said.

If Taiyang had noticed the wordless conversation the girl had with Yang before answering, he did not comment on that. "Tell you what – why won't the two of you come with us to Patch? We've got a big house, and I'm sure that the girls would be happy to have you."

"I already invited Blake, actually. She has talked about that with her parents, too," Yang chimed in.

"And? What did they say?"

"They agreed, as long as you have nothing against it," Blake replied. "Speaking of my parents... They will be visiting Vale in a few days and they hinted that they would like to, well, steal both me and Yang for the next week."

Tai just shrugged. "I see no problem."

Ruby, however, was outraged. "Well, I do! I'm gonna miss Blake's birthday that way!" She pouted angrily and glared at the Faunus, but her steely resolve eventually wavered because of the pleading look Blake was giving her. "Fine, I'll live. And I suppose it'd do Yang no harm to get to know her future in-laws, after all." A devious little smirk danced on her lips as she glanced at her sister, waiting for her reaction.

For this once it were not Yang's eyes that turned red. "Ruby!"

Blake was blushing, too, but a half-happy, half-amused grin was also present on her face.

"Blake's coming, then. What about you, Weiss?" the Huntsman asked, turning his gaze towards the heiress.

Weiss fidgeted uncomfortably, having everyone's attention focused on her; especially Ruby was watching her expectantly. Truth be told, she would love nothing more than to spend the upcoming months with her friends - and the thought of leaving alone for Atlas simply filled her with dread - but she also did not want to be anyone's burden. "I'd be happy to, if it really is not too much of a problem."

"Not at all."

To Weiss, Taiyang's smile was just as infectious as his younger daughter's. "I'll inform my mother, then," she said, then glanced at her beaming partner and yelped, suddenly pulled into a hug.

"Great." Taiyang took a deep breath and relaxed a bit, glad that both girls agreed. He had some vague knowledge of what his daughters' team had gone through, and feared that splitting the girls up would do nothing to help them recover. "That being said, I'm afraid the four of you are stuck here until I'm no longer needed in the city. The cleaning up shouldn't take much longer, though. Just wait two, maybe three more days and we'll be good to go."

He suspected that the girls wouldn't be too thrilled after hearing that they were stuck at Beacon for a few more days, but he didn't think that the news would kill the mood as much as it did.

The four friends just exchanged looks, visibly distressed.

"Uh... Actually, we'd like to stay here a little bit longer than that," Ruby declared quietly, disrupting the awkward silence. "To, you know... pay our respects."

 _Wait, longer? Pay respects?_ For a moment the Huntsman just looked cluelessly at his younger daughter and her team, then, after a short while of thinking, let out a silent 'oh' of understanding once he figured out what did Ruby mean. "The second anniversary. Of course, we can stay till then."

They didn't talk much after that, only occasionally exchanging a few words as they were finishing eating their meals. Pretty soon Weiss excused herself and left, intent on calling her sister. The rest of them did not stay there much longer, either - a few minutes had passed and everyone was already outside, chatting quietly as they walked in the light of the shattered moon.

Ruby and Yang were lagging a bit behind their dad and Blake. Right before Ruby was about to go her way, she nudged her sister with an elbow and spoke to the blonde, looking at the black-haired girl a few meters ahead from them. "Take care of her, sis."

Yang nodded ruefully. "Yeah, I will. Right back at you, Ru." She patted Ruby's shoulder reassuringly, then took off running after Taiyang and Blake. Ruby watched them walk away for a while, then she herself headed towards the classrooms, repeatedly popping in and out of the existence as she strolled down the alley illuminated by evenly spaced lampposts, gazing at the stars and enjoying the chilly air of the night.

* * *

Ruby was lying on the bed next to her partner's, propping herself on her right elbow. With a small frown present on her face she was reading something on her Scroll, not paying much attention to the discussion Weiss was having with her sister over a video call – partially because she didn't mean to eavesdrop, but mostly because she wanted to focus on the words displayed on the screen. For the most part she didn't miss out on anything interesting – the Schnee sisters were simply catching up and answering each other's questions.

At some point Weiss' eyes widened a bit in surprise. "I... yes, she is. But why... As you wish, Winter." She turned her gaze towards her leader, visibly uncertain. "Uh, Ruby? My sister wants to have a word with you."

Ruby quirked her eyebrows, glancing up from the text she was reading. "...Should I be scared?" she asked half jokingly, not expecting an answer – Weiss looked just as baffled as she was. The heiress just shrugged. Sighing, Ruby closed her Scroll and got up, then shuffled in Weiss' direction and sat right next to her.

A pair of icy eyes glared at Ruby from the screen. " _Ruby Rose_."

"Umm... yes?" The girl responded meekly, fiddling nervously with her ponytail.

"What were you...!?" the oldest of Schnee siblings snapped at Ruby, causing her to flinch and brace for the further chiding. But, while sudden, Winter's outburst had ended just as quickly as it began. The woman pinched the bridge of her nose and, after a short pause to compose herself, continued. "Ugh. You have my apologies. I did not ask to speak with you to scold you, especially seeing that it's not you who is to blame. Quite the opposite, in fact. I wish to thank you for saving my sister's life."

It were not Winter's words of appreciation that surprised Ruby; it was her expression – an actual, genuine smile, albeit a very small one - that truly caught the girl off guard. Completely flabbergasted and knowing not how to react, the silver-eyed Huntress simply listened to Winter as the woman continued her speech for a few more moments.

"...We most certainly have our differences, you and I, but I want you to know I am glad that my sister was assigned to a leader she can trust... and paired with a partner that became a true friend of hers."

"I... you're welcome?" Ruby mumbled, too baffled to come up with a better response. She snuck a single glance at Weiss, who was watching her the whole time and seemed to be enjoying herself greatly. "Should I leave the call to Weiss, or...?"

"There's no need; we've already discussed all there was to discuss. I wish the two of you a good night." With that, Winter proceeded to end the call – but not before doing the very last thing Weiss expected her to do.

She winked at them.

Her face disappeared from the screen immediately after that, so quickly that most would assume they were just seeing things. Weiss, however, was convinced that it was not the case, and that both the wink and the smirk that had showed up on Winter's lips a split second before the call ended were directed specifically towards her. ' _What the hell was that supposed to mean, Winter?'_

"Well, that was... awkward." Ruby summed up, staring blankly at the display of the Scroll Weiss was still holding in front of them. "And, uh, Weiss, has your sister just... complimented me?"

The girl's bewilderment was so amusingly genuine that the heiress couldn't help but giggle. "So it would seem. Really, Ruby, why are you so surprised?"

"I just didn't think she might actually... kind of like me? Or that she doesn't see me as a pest, at least."

"'Like' ?" Weiss repeated after her partner, laughing. "Yes, I wouldn't take it _that_ far. But she does respect you. Quite a lot in fact, especially after Vytal."

"Huh. I'd never have guessed." Ruby sighed softly and leaned back, laying down on the quilt with a quiet groan. "Oh well, I suppose I still don't speak 'Schnee' well enough to actually understand her." She pulled out the Scroll out of the pouch by her belt and got back to reading.

"May be," The heiress hummed, not really convinced that it was the problem. She looked at the silver-eyed girl sprawled crosswise Weiss' bed and watched her for a few moments, thinking. Eventually she turned away from Ruby, wanting to hide the silly smile that she felt was already creeping onto her lips. "Although I do believe it's more likely to be an issue of Winter's dialect, because I think you already speak mine really well." Even though the heiress really tried to resist the urge, she couldn't help but sneak a quick glance at her partner to see her reaction. The pleasant warmth had spread all over Weiss' body at the sight of Ruby's bashfully averted gaze and the faintest shade of red adorning girl's happy face, causing heiress' heart to beat ever so slightly faster.

The two of them stayed silent for a while, savoring this moment. Eventually Weiss regained her composure and, finally able to look in Ruby's direction without immediately turning away, focused her gaze on her partner – or, to be more precise, on the Scroll Ruby held in her hand. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, this? Doctors' reports about our team. When you went to take the shower I talked to doctor Grapes and asked her to send our files to me."

"...Are team leaders allowed to request for their team members' medical records?"

"Mhm, unless the member in question says otherwise. Leaders are treated not that differently than, say, close family." Ruby confirmed, then sat up and let out a small chuckle. "I'm kinda bummed that the report about me made for such a boring read, really. Essentially, it could be summed up to 'severe overexertion and some minor bruising'."

"What about the rest of us?"

"Well. Miss Blake Belladonna: concussion. Released after twenty-four hours without any complications, left in the care of her partner after instructing miss Xiao Long how to proceed with the treatment," Ruby summarized in a theatrically monotonous voice, earning an eyeroll from the heiress for her stellar performance. "As for Yang, she apparently had to leave her bionic arm for a day so they could repair it. Seems she got it back this morning, right before she went to see us - would explain why she didn't fix Ember Celica on her own, now that I think of it. Anyway, this one" she said, lifting her Scroll higher and showing its screen to the heiress, "is about you; I'm halfway through at the moment."

Weiss felt growing unease as she watched her partner scroll down the somewhat impressive wall of text. "That... seems to be quite long."

"Yeah. Two times longer than the reports about the rest of us combined, and quite a bit more interesting." Ruby's smile waned not long after she had said that. Her eyes turned towards the display of her Scroll, glancing over the words on the screen. By all means it was not a pleasant read, reminding Ruby of some of the worst moments of her life, but it also contained knowledge that could help her take care of Weiss. "Not that pleasant, though. It might be a good thing that I don't understand half of the stuff that's written in here."

The heiress placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. It pained her to see the girl to be so upset, but on the other hand knowing that her partner cared so much about what happened to Weiss filled her chest with warmth.

"Weiss?" Ruby called after a while has passed, turning to face the heiress. "How... how much do you remember? You know, after you've got wounded."

"I..." Weiss paused for a moment to think. "I believe I remember everything up to the point I passed out. After that... it's all flashes. Mostly dreams, I think... I recall seeing myself lying in a bed in the medical bay, for instance."

The brunette frowned a bit, shifting a bit on the bed. "You mean, like an out-of-body experience?"

"Perhaps? I don't think I was looking around or doing anything, though. I was just... watching myself in my sleep."

"That sounds... kinda creepy. Still, I sure have had way weirder dreams in my life." Not long after saying that, Ruby's eyes widened slightly and a soft blush crept onto her face, as if she realized something about what she had just said. "A-Anyway, that was not what I wanted to know about. You woke up a few times. Don't you remember any of that?"

Weiss knitted her brows, then shook her head slightly. "No, I have no memory of it whatsoever. One of the doctors said that they expected as much, though, and that it's most likely caused by the medicine."

Ruby nodded, absentmindedly staring into an empty space in front of her. "Yeah, I'm not surprised either. You really were... out of it."

"Maybe it's for the better that I don't remember it, then." Weiss sighed. "Oh well, in any case – I don't really care. All that matters to me is that somehow all of us are alive, although I still can't quite live down the fact that I wasn't with when you went to fight... well, you-know-who." She glanced at Ruby, and a small smirk appeared on her face. "Now that I think of it, the three of you got off easy, considering that you fought a being as close to the status of a god as it gets."

It was as if a shadow had landed on Ruby's face, darkening her expression in a heartbeat and making the heiress regret her words just as quickly.

After a painfully long moment had passed, Ruby nodded. "Yeah, we got really lucky, even if we had a 'god' of our own on our side. She was certainly far more powerful than any of us on their own... excluding Oz, of course, though Oscar probably wouldn't be able to take her one-on-one. I don't think she had an Aura, though... not in the way we understand it, anyway. In theory all we had to do was to get past her defenses and be lucky enough to land a strike. Easier said than done." She let out a short, humorless chuckle, then looked down and started fiddling with the blanket they were sitting on, drawing small circles with her finger. "That... wasn't our only problem, however."

A soft sigh escaped ravenette's lips. "The greatest weapon of Salem was not her raw power, nor the Grimm she could summon." She paused for a while, as if thinking how to put her thoughts into words. "I think that our Darkness, our negative emotions and thoughts, even the ones we were not aware of... spoke to her, in a way. And it seems that she knew exactly how to use it to her advantage."

Ruby closed her eyes and fell silent for a few seconds, clutching the bedspread with enough strength for her knuckles to turn white. When she finally spoke again she did it in a voice so weak and small that Weiss was barely able to make out the words. "Imagine seeing every single one thing you fear becoming a reality. Imagine watching every your dream being crushed into dust. Every single thing you took pride in trivialized, every your weakness - stripped bare. Imagine remembering every bad thing that has ever happened to you... every harsh word spoken to you, every wound, every sleepless night. That's her power. And she'd use all her skill to convince you that you're not only worthless, but also left alone in a very dark place." Seeing that Ruby was basically trembling at this point, Weiss placed her arm around her partner's neck and pulled the silver-eyed girl closer, feeling her own heart ache. "And in the end she'd take away the one last thing keeping you s-sane."

Soon Ruby melted into Weiss' embrace, whose presence and care alone were enough to slowly calm her and fill her with new strength. As much as their ability to understand each other without speaking could be problematic at times when one of them didn't want to worry their partner, Ruby firmly believed she would never be able to find the words that would let her describe just how much did she appreciate it – both in battle and out of it. Over the past few months, the two of them found great comfort in the bond they shared, in their mutual trust, understanding and unconditional acceptance. When the burden was becoming too heavy to bear, the one was always there for the other, asking no questions and demanding no answers. In such moments, neither words nor appearances were necessary between the two – all they needed they would find in each other.

Eventually, Ruby steadied her breathing and wiped the wetness marking the path of tears that at some point had trailed down her face. Slowly and not without reluctance, she pulled away, giving Weiss a smile both apologetic and grateful. Still worried, Weiss responded with a smile of her own, simply glad that she could help Ruby when she was needed, just as Ruby was there for her in the past - and would be in the future, Weiss hoped.

One look in her partner's eyes told Ruby that she didn't have to continue talking, but a small, selfish part of her being that prompted her to talk in the first place wanted Weiss to hear the end of the story, especially seeing that the girl knew that Weiss also wanted to hear it. And so, after taking a deep breath, she fixed her gaze on the floor and resumed where she had left off, for the sake of both Weiss and herself. "She... did something to Yang. Possessed, I guess. Forced her to attack Blake and I. Then she offered us a way out, for a price: one of us was supposed to kill the other - otherwise both of us would be killed by my sis."

Something changed about Weiss' blood, but even she was not sure whether it began to boil or was suddenly turned cold. She always deemed the bond between herself and her teammates to be somewhat sacred, and cherished it more than anything else. To twist it like that...

"I think she found pleasure in that, you know? Toying with us, trying to get us to jump to each other's throats just to save the person we both cared about, only to die soon after that. Eventually we managed to find a different way out, but... I almost believed her. I almost believed her that there was no other option."

Weiss moved closer to Ruby, albeit this time it was not only her partner she wanted to comfort with closeness.

"'There will be no victory in strength', remember? I think I really get it now," the silver-eyed girl said, looking up at Weiss and flashing her a hangman's smile. "Numbers, skill, power - what does the strength matter, if it will only be used against you? That's what made her so dangerous." With that, she pulled the heiress into an embrace, gently grasping a handful of white hair.

"I did not let her break me, but... she got close," Ruby whispered with closed eyelids, her warm breath tickling Weiss' skin as she nuzzled into the nook of her partner's neck. "Way too close."

Before long, a pair of lithe arms once again tightened around Ruby's body, doing so with a bit more strength than before.

* * *

Weiss woke up to the sound of someone trashing around in a nearby bed. Not yet fully awake, she decided to just ignore the noise and return to her slumber, but following through on her idea quickly turned out to be a bit harder than she assumed in her drowsy mind. Getting progressively more awake with each passing second, she was also more and more aware that something was not okay. Then a sharp gasp could be heard and Weiss was immediately put on high alert, snapping her eyes wide open and looking towards the noise.

Ruby was sitting on her bunk, with the mane of black and red flowing freely down her back, rubbing her face with both of her hands. After a few moments, she reached out in the direction of the nightstand by her bed and for a short while soft light of the Scroll's screen illuminated her glistening with sweat face, sparkling in her eyes. She let out a silent groan once she learned what hour was it, then got up and slipped her feet into a pair of scuffs. She strolled past Weiss, who was pretending to be fast asleep, and walked out of the room.

Having heard the soft click of closing doors, Weiss sat up on her mattress and glanced in the direction of the entrance, tempted to follow after Ruby. Ultimately deciding against it, she turned on the bedside lamp and grabbed her Scroll, then cringed slightly after seeing '03:13 AM' displayed on the screen of the device. For a short while she entertained the thought of going back to sleep, but dismissed the idea almost immediately; being pretty sure that Ruby just woke up from a nightmare, Weiss knew she would not be able to rest easy before checking up on the silver-eyed girl.

She breathed out heavily and massaged the bridge of her nose, then adjusted her pillow and leaned her back against the headboard, making herself comfortable and waiting for Ruby to come back. Trying to kill the time, she attempted to recall the dream she had before she was woken up, but in the end she didn't remember much - only a simple, sad melody and a few verses sung in a quiet, shaky voice...

 _It's now or never_

 _Don't surrender_

 _We came too far to die..._

Just when she began regretting not chasing after her partner, the slight squeak of the hinges resounded in the darkness, followed by complete silence. Despite all her efforts, the heiress didn't manage to fight down the smirk that began forming on her lips as she imagined her partner, who surely had noticed right away that the light was on, sneaking towards her and hoping that Weiss got back to sleep before she returned.

Eventually, Ruby's pretty face peeked out from behind the privacy screen and the girl glanced a bit fearfully in the direction of Weiss' bed, only to freeze once she noticed that a pair of baby blue eyes was staring right back at her.

"Did you want to stay here for the night just to not let me sleep in peace?"

Ruby snorted and relaxed a bit, relieved that Weiss seemed to be more amused than angry. An embarrassed little grin formed on her lips as she stepped out from her cover and began walking towards the heiress, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "No. Sorry that I woke you up."

"It's okay." The heiress smiled reassuringly, then looked at her partner with concern. "Bad dreams?"

"Mhm," Ruby hummed, sitting cross-legged on the edge of Weiss' bed.

"What kind of?"

Ruby's gaze was downcast. "Y'know, the usual. Ren gets killed by the Nuckelavee. Jaune becomes maimed for life when we try to take Adam down. I see Yang dying. I see Blake dying. I see you dying." She paused for a moment, then chuckled bitterly. "Oh, wait, that last one has actually happened."

"As to what woke me up... Cinder," Ruby whispered. "I dreamed of the day I... the day I killed her. More of a flashback than a nightmare, I guess, but..."

"Do you regret that? Killing her?"

"Regret? As in 'would I change it if I could'?" she asked, glancing at the heiress, then looked down and pondered for a while, considering her answer. Eventually she shook her head. "No. But that doesn't change the fact that it was the first time when I knowingly, deliberately killed a human being, does it? Well, not entirely human, perhaps, but that's beside the point."

Ruby continued. "She was hardly the first one I've killed with my actions, and yet she's the one to haunt me. Not the White Fang henchmen we threw off the train when we pursued Torchwick, nor the ones that were left in the exploding railcars or died after the crash. The Grimm or bombs might have finished them off, that's true... but their blood is on our hands, even if it doesn't feel like it." A wry smile had crept onto her lips. "Funny, isn't it? How easy it is to shift the blame."

"I... yeah." Although she was not sure if 'funny' would be the word she'd use herself, Weiss most certainly did understand what her partner meant.

"It becomes much harder when it's you who pulled the trigger," Ruby said softly, then closed her eyelids shut. "I remember her face, you know? I can almost see it. The shock, the blood dripping down the corner of her mouth. Her pain, hatred and disbelief... and the pure terror in her eye right before... right before I ended it."

"Ruby..."

"But I do not regret it. She was a threat. Not only to Vale, or even Remnant, but to everyone I held dear. To Yang, to Blake, to Jaune, Nora and Ren, to the rest of my friends... And to you." She spoke with conviction, looking right into Weiss' eyes. Then, as if startled by her own confidence, she turned away. "I did it to protect the ones I love. If these dreams are the price I have to pay, then so be it."

Weiss understood her, perhaps even better than she would like to. She herself struggled with a similiar dilemma ever since the blade of her Myrtenaster was bloodied for the first – and probably not for the last - time. She gently touched Ruby's forearm and tried to look the girl in the eye.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Ruby sighed. "Yeah, I guess." After a short moment of silence she let out a quiet chuckle, smiling to a memory. "When I was little and had trouble sleeping, I used to sneak into Yang's bed. She never got angry, even if I woke her up. She just grinned and pulled me closer, lulling me to sleep in no time. That being said, I s'ppose it's no longer an option, courtesy of a certain cute cat Faunus with a penchant for running away from her problems."

Corners of Weiss' mouth twitched a bit in amusement. Then a certain idea popped up in her mind, making her feel as if the temperature in the room suddenly increased by a few degrees.

"I know that I'm not Yang, but... you could sleep with me tonight, i-if you'd like to." The heiress did not know where did the audacity to speak out come from, nor why was she so embarrassed by the thought in the first place. ' _It's just a normal thing between friends... right?'_

After a few heartbeats, as if to contradict what she had just thought, Weiss was no longer the only one with their cheeks set aflame.

"Nah, I don't want to bother you," Ruby mumbled, averting her gaze and slowly getting up from Weiss' bed.

The heiress grabbed her partner by the wrist before the girl could get out of her reach. "And you wouldn't," she assured, surprised how genuinely her words sounded in her own ears.

For an excruciatingly long few seconds Ruby was just looking into Weiss' blue eyes, unsure, but eventually she took a deep breath and eased up, most of her worries melting away. "Well, if you say so."

Weiss released girl's wrist and scooted over a little, letting Ruby to lay down beside her. It took them a while to figure out how they were supposed to do it, but in the end the two of them managed to make themselves relatively comfortable on the bed, facing each other.

"Thanks, Weiss."

"Anytime." For a few moments the girls were simply smiling at each other, their faces about a dozen inches apart, the awkwardness both of them had initially feared completely absent. Then, seemingly out of blue, Weiss flicked her friend's forehead with her finger. "Dolt."

Ruby laughed. "And there is Weiss we all know and love."

"Oh, cut it out. And try not to fall off the bed once you're asleep. It's pretty narrow for two people."

"That's sweet, but worry about yourself, Princess. Unlike a _certain someone_ I know, _I_ never fell off a bed in my sleep. Don't forget which one of us had the upper bunk, either."

"...fair points," Weiss conceded. Then a certain realization hit her. "How are you doing this?"

"Doing what? Not falling out of bed in my sleep?"

"Calling me a 'Princess' without causing me to flip out. I just noticed it," Weiss said, and by the look on her face Ruby could tell that the heiress was genuinely confused. "Yang annoys me. Blake annoys me. Everyone annoys me. And don't even get me started on Jaune. But you? I'm not even angry. What kind of sorcery is this?"

"It's called 'endearing', silly. And you do it from time to time, too." Remembering the playful flick to her forehead, Ruby repaid the heiress in Weiss' own coin. "Goodnight, Weiss."

"Ow. Goodnight, Dolt."

The silver-eyed girl grinned. "See? My point exactly." With that, she turned over on her left side, ending the conversation.

Faced with her partner's back, Weiss watched her in silence for a while, bravely fighting with the urge to just bury her hand in black-red tresses. Ruby's presence did not bother her in slightest; in fact, she found herself enjoying it quite a bit. Sure, that way the heiress had less space for herself, but she was also kept warm and could smell roses to her heart's content. While sharing the same bed together was a new experience to them, it was not the first time they were going to sleep right next to each other. When they did so in the past, there was a certain air of trust, familiarity and safety between the two of them that Weiss couldn't quite explain, knowing only that she felt protected and cared for when she was lying beside Ruby. This time it was no different – if anything, the feeling was only stronger.

"Sleep well," Weiss murmured, subconsciously inching a bit closer to the other girl and her warmth. Not much time had passed before the sweet scent of roses filling her nostrils lulled her back to blissful sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Meh. A month. I'm quite a bit disappointed that it took me so long to write this chapter. And you know what? IT'S EVEN LONGER THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE WAS (before I split in two, I mean). Sheesh, what's wrong with me. Here's hope that this chapter was worth the wait. Was reading such a wall of text bothersome?

Anyway... thus the first 24 hours ('Forget me not' excluded) of this story are finally concluded. Whew. It sure did take me a while. As for the chapter itself, I don't think I have anything clever to tell _for now_ ; all I can say is that I hope you enjoyed it, and that _I'd love to_ know what do you think about what happened.

Oh, I've almost forgotten! The lyrics of the song are an excerpt from the song "Claim your weapons" by Christian Reindl.

If you liked this story so far and have a bit of time to spare then please, consider writing a review – they truly make writing this story feel all the more worthwhile. Critique is also appreciated!

 **meitantei-kun:** I'm really glad you liked it! And I hope that this chapter's White Rose also didn't dissappoint you c:

2017-04-07


	7. Formalities, part one

_**Chapter VI: Formalities, part one.**_

Warmth of the morning sunlight caressed Weiss' cheek, summoning her sleeping mind back to the world of the living. The girl tried to resist the calling, wanting not to wake up just yet; she turned her head a little, burying her face in a pillow and hiding from the cruel daylight. As she did so, however, something soft brushed against her temple and the tip of her nose, tickling her and stirring awake, prompting the heiress to open her eyes a bit.

Weiss was greeted by the sight of silky strands of crimson hair spilling onto the pillow right next to her. She tensed for a while, needing a moment to process what she saw, then gradually relaxed as memories of the previous night's events resurfaced in her drowsy mind. Curious whether or not her partner was already awake, the heiress propped herself on her elbow and looked at her bedmate, only to notice two pretty orbs of silver looking right back at her.

"Morning," Ruby chirped, flashing her friend a warm smile. Weiss, in meanwhile, began rubbing the sleep from her eyes, not even bothering to fight the invisible forces that tugged gently at the corners of her mouth.

"Hi, Ruby. How was your night?"

"Well, I've slept better in my life, but it sure was the most restful night in recent memory." After Ruby said that, her cheerful expression lost a bit of its intensity and a small wrinkle marred the girl's forehead. "And yours? I didn't wake you up again, did I?"

Weiss shook her head, letting her gaze fall onto the quilt. "No, you didn't. In fact, you might be not the only one who benefited from our arrangement, after all. I slept better than I expected to, as well."

"And there I was, thinking that you offered to let me sleep beside you out of the goodness of your heart," Ruby lamented theatrically, her words earning her a half-hearted glare and a playful poke between the ribs, which in turn caused her to burst into giggles. "I kid, I kid," she uttered, then offered her partner a smile full of gratitude. "Thanks, Weiss. And I mean it. I know that sleeping in one bed with somebody is... well, not exactly in your comfort zone."

Weiss frowned. "That's why you were so reluctant when I offered it?"

"Mhm." ' _Partially, anyway_ ,' Ruby added in her thoughts _._

Although the heiress rolled her eyes, she most certainly did appreciate the sentiment. "It wouldn't kill you to be a bit more selfish from time to time, you know?" Before Ruby managed to chime in and say that in her own opinion she had been rather selfish on multiple occasions yesterday, Weiss continued. "You're not wrong, though. But..." She cast her gaze downwards.

Now it was Ruby's turn to knit her brows. "But?"

"At first I thought it'd be really awkward to sleep with you, but... it wasn't. Excluding the initial embarrassment of both parties involved, that is," she said, unwittingly tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Anyway, were you awake for long?"

"Not really. A few minutes, maybe. For a moment I considered getting up and going for a walk, but you were... well, kinda pinning me down back then." Ruby spoke with an innocent face, but the tone of her voice had a certain teasing quality to it, not to mention the amused look she was giving the heiress.

For a while Weiss just stared at her partner blankly, clueless as to what Ruby was getting at. Then a realization hit her as she vaguely remembered that when she woke up she, indeed, had her right arm sprawled across her partner's stomach, restricting girl's ability to move. Feeling her cheeks light up, the heiress started rubbing her forehead, her hand ever so conveniently hiding her eyes so she didn't have to look at Ruby. _I take it back. I_ _ **so**_ _take it back._ _Sleeping with Ruby_ _ **was**_ _awkward._ "Speaking of time... what hour is it?" she asked, changing the topic in a desperate attempt to save the remains of her pride. Right after she had said that, however, something occurred to her, filling her with dread – according to what Ruby had told her yesterday after calling professor Goodwitch, they were supposed to meet with the headmaster at 11:30 AM.

Ruby froze as she heard the question, the beginnings of a cheeky grin gone from her face. "That's... a very good question. Lemme check." The silver-eyed girl quickly sat up on the bed and reached towards the bedtable, then grabbed Weiss' Scroll and promptly opened it. Seeing the digits on the screen, she relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. "Huh. Seems it's still don't-wake-Yang-up o'clock. We're in the clear, then."

In meanwhile, Weiss peeked over Ruby's shoulder. Content with what she saw on the Scroll, the heiress lowered herself onto the pillow. "Good. For a moment I was afraid that we've overslept."

"Yeah, same here." A loud, long yawn that Ruby tried to stifle with her hand pushed its way past her lips. "Well, are you sleepy? I guess we have enough time to take a nap."

"No, I think I've slept long enough. I wanted to wake up a bit earlier to call Mother, anyway; might as well do that now," Weiss replied. She kept her voice calm and tried to seem composed, but the nervous manner in which she bit the inside of cheek told Ruby a different story.

"The two of you haven't talked at all after your father's funeral, huh?" the younger girl spoke gently.

"Yes. Ever since she has reinstated me as an heiress," Weiss admitted, then averted her gaze and fell silent for a while. Ruby could barely hear her words when the heiress spoke again. "And for much longer before that."

"Do you think she'll have any problems with you staying at my place till the start of the new year at Beacon?"

Baby blue eyes snapped back to look at Ruby, dangerously narrowed. "I couldn't care less if she did. I said I was going to _inform_ her, not _ask for permission_." After a moment had passed, Weiss' scowl slowly dissipated and she exhaled deeply, seemingly a bit ashamed of her harsh reaction. "That being said, I see no reason why would she have anything against it." ' _After all, she has avoided me for the past decade,'_ she thought bitterly.

"Well, for what it's worth, good luck." A small, comforting smile flickered on Ruby's lips, the girl's fingers briefly brushing against Weiss' forearm. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go and change. Will be back in a few." With that, she pulled the blanket off herself and slid out of the bed, then picked a bundle of neatly folded clothes from the nearby chair and walked deeper into the room, quickly disappearing behind the privacy screen.

Personally, Ruby didn't really mind being in the sight of her teammates as she changed clothes – she and most of her team simply grew used to it, having seen each other in various stages of undress on many instances over the course of past few years. Weiss was an exception; while she was trying her best not to show it, it was not hard to see that the heiress was quite uneasy whenever she saw any of the girls – or, even worse, she was the one being seen - in nothing but their underwear. And thus, Ruby, well aware of the fact, decided to get out of Weiss' sight, not wanting to psych out her friend even more than calling miss Schnee would.

As she was putting on her clothes, however, she couldn't help but wonder. Was nudity bothering Weiss because of her upbringing, or maybe it was related to something else entirely? Was she feeling self-conscious, perhaps...? If so, then Ruby was at a complete loss. As she saw it, Weiss was plain gorgeous – her body included. What was there to be ashamed of?

As Ruby silently mulled over these thoughts, Weiss called the Schnee household. "Good day. Yes, I'd like to have a word with my mother; I won't take much of her time." A pause. "She's... not in the manor? Business trip? To where? No, no, I suppose it's not important at this moment; I was merely curious. Yes, I'd be grateful if you informed her. Thank you. Goodbye, Charlotte." After she ended the call, the heiress let out a sigh that was part-relieved, part-exasperated, then threw herself onto the mattress.

"No luck, huh?"

Hearing her partner's words, Weiss turned towards the source of the voice. Then, seeing Ruby strolling towards her, for a short while she forgot to breathe, captured by how the light played in the girl's loose hair, causing the crimson mane to shine in daylight like a halo made of rubies.

A moment had passed and Weiss rapidly blinked a few times, her mind getting back from wherever it tried to wander off to just a second ago. She nodded. "Yeah... it seems that her plane took off about an hour ago. Hopefully she'll call me in a few minutes," the heiress said, but if anyone were to ask Ruby, Weiss didn't sound 'hopeful' in the slightest. "So, what are we going to do now? Do you have any plans?"

Much to Weiss' disappointment, her partner in a few quick motions tied her hair into a ponytail, letting it flow down her left shoulder. "Not really. I guess we could go and eat a breakfast, then wait for the lovebirds to show up." She stretched her arms above her head and arched her back, popping her spine in several places and letting out a quiet moan. "But, first, I'll go talk with doctors and get both of us a release. Wait here," she ordered, gesturing the heiress to stay put.

And so the young leader walked towards the exit, silently followed by the eyes of blue.

* * *

Ruby returned after ten or so minutes, carrying a thin file of documents in her hand, and discovered that while she had been away Weiss had already dressed up and moved to sit on her bed's footboard.

"The doctor should be here in a..." Suddenly she paused, just then noticing how stunned her partner appeared to be. "She called?" she asked softly.

"...Yes," Weiss mumbled after a short moment of silence, not looking at Ruby.

"And? Did she have any issues with your plans?"

"No, she agreed without a problem," the heiress replied flatly, slowly shaking her head. Then, finally, she lifted her eyes and met her leader's silver gaze. "And asked me to meet with her. Today."

"...Excuse me?" As she closed the distance between the two of them, Ruby threw the papers she was carrying onto Weiss' bed and sat next to the heiress, both worried and confused.

"That plane she boarded? It's heading towards Vale. Apparently she has some business meetings to attend to, but she'll be free in the evening. And wants to speak with me, in person." She let out a short, bit hysterical laugh. "Can't say I saw this one coming."

"Well... Do you have to go?"

Weiss didn't respond right away, taking a moment to consider her answer. "I... don't think so, for some reason," she spoke eventually, sounding genuinely baffled. "Father just _loved_ to dress up his orders in pretty and polite words, but they were just that – orders. He never truly _asked_ for anything, he _demanded._ Mother, in meanwhile... she seemed to be actually _asking_ to meet with me. Authentically giving me a choice, and not expecting much at that." She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, part of the tension leaving her body as if she made up her mind. "And I think I'll go. If nothing else, it will give us a peace of mind."

"Should I go with you?"

Weiss shook her head slightly. "No, I think I'll manage on my own... she's not my Father, after all." Nonetheless, a small, thankful smile crept onto her lips. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"Why are you so stressed, then?"

"Because I don't know _who_ she is, Ruby," Weiss spoke in small voice, briefly looking Ruby in the eyes before she let her gaze fall to the floor. "What else can I say. I don't know my own mother."

Weiss jolted a bit when a gentle hand rested on her shoulder, startling her and taking her mind away from the dark thoughts that began brewing in her head. She turned towards her partner. Ruby didn't just offer her comforting – she offered her understanding.

And the heiress couldn't ask for more.

Her father saw her as virtually nothing more than an asset he could use, her brother backstabbed her and her own mother _chose to_ become the never-present, distant figure outside of Weiss' life out of her own volition. In the past it had pained her that only her sister could be considered her real family – the family she actually loved and cared about. In a way, it still did. But now she also had Blake, Yang and Ruby.

And she felt that it was all she'd ever truly need.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Sigh. I'm sorry that it took me so long to post an update, and such a bit-sized one at that. I guess that between the Easter, a convention, squeezing in as many D&D sessions as possible before June and general writer's block I didn't really have that much time nor energy to write, but... yeah, I'm still angry at myself. It's not even the whole chapter – just a half of it. Truth be told, I had mixed feelings about posting it before the rest of the chapter is finished, but... well, I figured I left you all hanging for too long already. I'll try to post the other half as soon as I can.

Anyway, yeah, I hope you enjoyed. And sorry again.

2017-06-03


	8. Formalities, part two

_**Chapter VII: Formalities, part two.**_

Having left the infirmary, Weiss and Ruby wandered aimlessy around the campus for a while, eventually making their way to the dining hall. There, after some time spent on idle chatter over their breakfast, they were joined by Yang and Blake, who proceeded to tell them about the visit to their old dorm room that they had paid on their way here.

"So, you say we could use our old room until we're ready to go home?" Ruby asked her sister once Yang finished her report. She pondered for a bit, taking a sip of hot chocolate from her mug. "Well, I suppose we could ask Ozpin if he'd allow that." The idea of staying in their old dorm for the next few days certainly appealed to her, even if their room was now somewhat demolished and right in the middle had a hole punched clear through the floor.

"I guess we could? We would have to clean it up a little and cope with the fact that the heaters don't work, but we should be fine. And, to be honest, I'd like that." Yang's right hand disappeared within her blonde mane when she nervously scratched her neck, as if she was a bit embarassed by her own sentimentality. "I don't mind sleeping with dad and others in the ballroom, but..."

"...it would be nice to spend at least one night in our old dorm," Blake finished.

Ruby nodded solemnly, her drink left forgotten in her hand as she absentmindedly gazed through the window. "Yeah..."

* * *

The door of the elevator had opened and the four members of team RWBY walked into a bright, spacious and somewhat empty room with the ceiling made of glass. As they strolled in, slowly approaching two waiting for them professors, the soft, monotonous melody of a huge clockwork mechanism overhead muffled their steps.

"Good morning, girls," professor Goodwitch responded politely to their chorus of greetings, pushing herself away from the desk she was leaning against and standing next to Ozpin. Then, she glanced towards the hour hand of the giant clock ticking behind her; while it was sluggishly coming closer to the midway point between eleven and twelve, it was still not quite there. "You're here a bit early, but that shouldn't be a problem. Please, take seats." She pointed towards the four chairs standing in front of the headmaster's desk.

Once everyone had seated themselves, Ruby spoke to professor Ozpin. "So... we have decided. All four of us would like to continue studying at Beacon, if you'll have us."

The headmaster smiled good-naturedly. "I'll tell you the same thing I've told miss Schnee not that long ago: the doors of Beacon will always remain open for you, and we'd be honoured to have your team enrolled as our students again." After saying that, the man looked at professor Goodwitch, who in turn took it as her cue to speak.

"Normally, any student wishing to return to Beacon that hasn't continued their education at another Huntsman Academy would be restored as a student of the same grade they were in before the Vytal Tournament Incident. Then, they would be expected to take final exams of their respective grade in order to be promoted." The woman paused for a moment, fixing glasses on her nose and glancing at her colleague before carrying on. "In your case, however, professor Ozpin and I decided that we are willing to make an exception."

"Meaning?"

"You'd be promoted to the third grade instead," professor Goodwitch explained. "While skipping grades is certainly not something that could be handled by every student, we are confident in your abilities. I have to admit, while I had my reservations about admitting miss Rose to Beacon Academy two years early, she proved herself to be very capable, becoming one of the top students in most of your classes by the time of your second semester. Having the accomplishments of your team in mind, we feel it is not unreasonable on our part to put similiar faith in all four of you." While her words seemed genuine, Weiss could tell that the professor had some mixed feelings about this proposition.

"I'm glad that you think so highly of us, but... I'd prefer not to skip grades, if none of my teammates has anything against it," Ruby spoke softly, casting troubled glances at her friends and observing their reactions. She appreciated the opportunity that was given to them, but at the same time she couldn't help but dislike the idea. It was not just because she vividly remembered how she worked her ass off in order to catch up with everyone in academics and to 'become one of the top students in most of their classes'; she simply felt that this way she'd give up on regaining something precious to her. Letting her gaze fall onto her lap, she continued speaking, her voice quiet but steady and clear. "Past two years have been, well, hard on us. What's gone is gone and nothing is gonna change that, that's true... but, even if our lives won't be the same as they were before, I think we all could use some time. To recover. And to simply enjoy being students while we still can."

Ozpin and Glynda just looked at each other, visibly saddened.

"We understand," the headmaster said eventually, nodding, then turned to adress the rest of the team. "Do all of you stand by that decision?"

Blake's and Yang's eyes met for a brief moment as the two held a wordless conversation. "Yes," they replied in unison, looking back at Ozpin.

In Weiss' case, that small, careerist part of her being was tempted to take up on the offer, but... deep down, she knew that her heart agreed with her leader's sentiments. "Yes."

"Very well. Now, could you fill out these forms, please?"

* * *

Once all the documents were filled and handed back to professor Goodwitch, the woman spent a while to check if everything was in order. Then, she passed them to Ozpin and looked at the four girls in front of her. "As of this day, team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose, is officially proclaimed as reactivated, while all of its members are reinstated as students of Beacon Academy." After this declaration, she dropped her formal attitude and slowly a small, somewhat fond smile appeared on her lips. "Welcome back, girls."

"Ruby, there are matters that professor Goodwitch and I would like to discuss with you as the leader of the team. The rest of you is dismissed."

Having one more thing to say before leaving, Yang raised her hand. "Professor?"

"Yes?"

"You see... we would like to stay in our old dorm until we leave for Patch." A wide grin appeared on Yang's face at the sight of the baffled expression of both professors. "And yeah, we know that the dorms haven't been renovated yet; it's not a problem."

Bemused, Glynda looked at Ozpin. "Well... there's no risk that the building will collapse..."

Apparently not needing the woman to say anything more, the headmaster turned to Yang with a small smirk of his own. "You are free to use your old room for the time being, then. Access code should be the same as it used to be. I trust you remember it?"

"Yeah, we should be good. Thank you, professor." Yang stood up from her chair and, after affectionately ruffling her sister's hair, headed towards the exit along with Weiss and Blake. "See ya back in the dorm, Ru."

Before any of the girls could enter the elevator, however, they were stopped by the headmaster's voice. "One last thing before the three of you go." Having gotten their attention, Ozpin promptly continued, either not noticing the displeased look his colleague gave him or simply choosing to ignore it. "While you certainly have played the part, none of you has been formally introduced into the Circle. I think it's high time to finally address that issue. Meet us here in two days, at eleven in the evening."

For a while the four girls just looked at each other, none of them saying a thing; eventually, they gave Ozpin their nods of acknowledgment and Blake, Weiss and Yang silently left the room, leaving their leader alone with the two professors.

* * *

Once the trio left the CCT Tower, Weiss excused herself, saying that she wanted to do something and that she'd meet with the rest of the team soon back in their dorm. And so, Yang and Blake continued on without her, taking their belongings from the campground in the ballroom – where they slept for the past two days - and carrying them all the way to the their former dorm.

About a quarter of an hour had passed since they got there and for now it was still just the two of them in the room, resting on the sorry remains of Yang's old bed and idly listening to some relaxing tunes on shared earphones. Blake was lying in her girlfriend's lap, eyes closed, while Yang was reading news on her Scroll. Eventually, the blonde grew tired of idleness and texted Ruby; waiting for her sister's response, she ended up reading the conversation the two of them had yesterday when they separated after returning to Beacon from their visit at the cliffs.

 **[Yesterday, 7:13PM] Ru:** How's Blake?

 **[Yesterday, 7:15PM] Me:** still shaken a bit. ugh I fkd up

 **[Yesterday, 7:15PM] Ru:** Well it's been a while since the last time she reacted that way

 **[Yesterday, 7:16PM] Me:** maybe, but I still should've known better

 **[Yesterday, 7:16PM] Me:** I'm literally the worst gf

 **[Yesterday, 7:16PM] Ru:** Pretty sure Blake would disagree

Ruby was not wrong, and Yang knew it. Still, it did not change the fact that the blonde felt terrible with the knowledge that her stupid lack of forethought caused her loved one so much grief.

 **[Yesterday, 7:19PM] Ru:** How does she feel in general? Physically, I mena

 **[Yesterday, 7:19PM] Ru:** Mean*

 **[Yesterday, 7:20PM] Me:** she doesn't feel that bad, but has trouble concentrating and keeps forgetting what she just said or that she did put sugar in her tea

 **[Yesterday, 7:21PM] Me:** also doesn't remember anything that happened some time before she was hit

 **[Yesterday, 7:21PM] Me:** she woke up on the airship on our way back home, but has no memory of it either

 **[Yesterday, 7:21PM] Me:** concussion sure is fun

 **[Yesterday, 7:21PM] Ru:** So she doesn't remember... you know?

 **[Yesterday, 7:22PM] Me:** nope. Lucky girl

 **[Yesterday, 7:23PM] Ru:** And you haven't told her?

 **[Yesterday, 7:23PM] Me:** I kinda wish I could forget too

 **[Yesterday, 7:23PM] Me:** no. Not yet anyway

 **[Yesterday, 7:24PM] Me:** you think I should?

 **[Yesterday, 7:27PM] Ru:** Dunno. Ask her.

The blonde felt as if these three words were taunting her, even though she was sure her sister didn't mean them to. On one hand she understood that Blake had a right to know what had happened, but on the other... a part of her was glad that the girl didn't have to live with these memories. That, and she really was not looking forward to tell her this story.

Blake, who just glanced up from blonde's lap, did not fail to notice the change in Yang's mood. "What's with that frown?" she asked, pulling the earphone out of her human ear.

Their eyes met for a brief moment, but Yang was quick to avert her gaze and go back to looking at her Scroll. "Oh, nothing. I just wonder where the heck is Ruby," she replied, scratching the wing of her nose. Even though it was not a complete lie, she still felt bad about it.

"Probably still talking with Ozpin. Have you texted her?"

"Yup." Just after Yang had said that, the device in her hand buzzed as a new message appeared on the screen; _'omw'_ , her sister wrote.

"Ruby?"

"Yeah. She's on her way." For a while the blonde just stared blankly at her Scroll, using it as an excuse not to look her partner in the eye. She knew Blake was watching her, worried, patiently waiting for an honest answer Yang knew the girl deserved. Sighing, she threw a last glance at one of Ruby's messages from yesterday. _Ask her, huh? Well then, here goes nothing._ "Hey, Blake?"

"Mm?"

"Do you, uh... want to know what exactly happened... you-know-when?"

"...Yes."

"Are you sure...? You might be better off having no knowledge of it," she warned, then, looking away, she let out a chuckle completely devoid of amusement. "I sure would like to forget a thing or two."

Blake sat up and turned to face her girlfriend. "Yeah, I... I'm sure, Yang. I was about to ask you to tell me everything once my head goes back to normal. I know that it might be easier for me not knowing, but... _I was there_ , for crying out loud, and not remembering any of it pisses me off. Even more so when I see you thrash around in your sleep." She raised her hand to touch her lover's face, gently tracing the outline of Yang's cheekbone with her thumb and gazing into lilac eyes that finally stopped avoiding her own. "You and Ruby shouldn't shoulder these memories alone. So, if you're okay with telling me... let me help you."

"I'll tell you, then. Whenever you're ready."

"Good. Now, let's not worry about anything for now," Blake said, smiling softly.

Yang smirked. "Happy thoughts, huh?"

The black-haired girl leaned closer and wrapped her arms around Yang's neck, playful sparks gleaming in her amber eyes before she closed them shut. "Happy thoughts," she murmured an affirmation, right before placing a deep, loving kiss on her beloved's lips.

Yang, not wasting a single moment, gladly kissed Blake back, resting her hands just above girl's hips and slowly lowering herself onto the mattress, gently pulling her girlfriend down with her. Before long, they were already lost in their small, private world of love and shared bliss, too preoccupied with each other to notice or care about anything else... that is, until some faulty plank could no longer support their combined weight and broke under the pressure, causing Blake's face to smash into Yang's and snapping the two women back to reality.

Clutching her hand to her mouth, teary-eyed Blake rolled off her girlfriend. "Guess that's what we get for making out on a bed that's already been falling apart," she mumbled after making sure that all of her teeth were in place. "Are you alright?"

Yang sat up, rubbing her lips. "'Alright' ain't the word I'd use, but sure, let's go with that."

The other girl also tried to get up, but as soon as she attempted to do so, another loud crack was heard and Blake crashed back down, landing on the mattress with a surprised yelp.

The two looked at each other, only to burst into laughter once their initial bewilderment had passed.

* * *

"Hi, Rubes."

Ruby leaned her back against the door of the dorm and closed it shut, her head hitting the wooden surface with a soft thud. "Ugh, I hate formalities," she groaned, then glanced at the visibly amused couple sitting at the very edge of Yang's old bed. Choosing to ignore the slightly disheveled state both her sister and Blake were in, she looked around the room, quickly noticing that her partner was not present. "Where's Weiss?"

Yang shrugged. "Dunno. After we left the Tower she told us she had something to do and that she'd meet us here soon."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Ruby threw another sweeping glance at her surroundings. "So... excluding carrying all of our stuff here, you two haven't even started with cleaning up the room yet?"

"Nope. We wouldn't want you to miss out on all that fun," Yang replied, her shit-eating grin only growing in size as she saw her sister slump down the door with a feigned sob. Then, taking notice of the look of a disappointed puppy Ruby was giving her in retaliation, she grabbed a nearby pillow and tossed it right at the younger girl's face.

Much to the blonde's chagrin, Ruby quite effortlessly managed to catch this improvised projectile. Snickering, she clutched it to her stomach, her slim frame shaking with mirth as she defiantly stared right back at Yang.

"So, what took you so long?"

Ruby huffed, blowing a stray lock of hair off her nose. "Eh, mostly it was just professor Goodwitch giving me the rundown of the things I need to keep in mind next year. Nothing that would interest you, really... save for one thing, I guess." She released the pillow from her hold and let it fall onto her lap. "Long story short, they think we have one hell of a head start on other second-years, so we'll be receiving a special treatment in some of our classes."

"Which classes? And what kind of 'special treatment' did she have in mind?" Blake questioned.

"We talked mostly about her sparring class, but she also mentioned Grimm Studies and a few others. And they're not sure yet; for the most part it was just a heads up," Ruby stated. "Glynda has some ideas, like not matching us against any other second years – at least not one-on-one – but it's still pretty much up in the air at the moment."

Yang's face lit up. "Grimm Studies, huh? Do you think Port will give us a free pass?", she asked her girlfriend.

"Sadly, no," Blake responded, laughing. "At best he might allow us to take the exam early, but... well, you know him – he wouldn't want us to miss his lectures. It's more likely that he'll just give us more advanced material to study."

Not willing to abandon her hope just yet, Yang turned her questioning gaze towards her sister.

The silver-eyed girl snickered, gesturing with her head in Blake's direction. "What she said."

Having her bubble burst, Yang pouted in disappointment. For a brief moment she looked as if she was about to throw herself onto the bed she and Blake were still sitting on, but she changed her mind in the last moment.

"A'ight." Ruby cracked her neck and got up from the floor, then walked a few steps forward. "The sooner we'll start, the sooner we'll finish," she said, standing with her hands on her hips as she assessed the mess that surrounded her. After taking a better look at the state their old beds were in, she frowned, having a sneaking suspicion she'd regret attempting to sleep on any on them. "Well... I thiiiink it'd be best if we just took the mattresses and placed 'em on the ground. Blake's is pretty much ripped to shreds, but, seeing that you two sleep together most of the time anyways, it doesn't really matter." Crossing her arms under her chest, she looked at the blonde brawler. "Yang, will you help me take bed frames apart?"

Yang popped her knuckles and stood up, wearing a grin ever-so-slightly vengeful. "With pleasure."

Blake, in meanwhile, raised her eyebrows, surprised by what she had read from Ruby's posture and the tone of the voice the girl had used while mentioning their usual sleeping arrangements. _Was that_ _... envy?_

Whatever it was that seemed to be off about the silver-eyed huntress had quickly disappeared, not manifesting itself again as the trio worked on cleaning up the room. Before long, Weiss had shown up, bolstering their joint effort with a fourth pair of hands and the lunch brought from the caffeteria. Within the next three hours, they were done; not really having anything better to do, they opted to wander to and fro around the Beacon, then, when the sun hung low over the horizon, Ruby, Blake and Yang accompanied Weiss to the landing zone, where they waved off the heiress as she boarded an airship that would take her to the city.

After the craft had taken off, Yang nudged her sister with her elbow. "Ya think she'll be okay?"

"Dunno. I sure hope so," Ruby replied, visibly concerned, then blinked a few times in surprise after something wet had landed on her cheek. Looking up at the gray clouds that had rolled in from the south, she turned the palm of her left hand towards the sky. Sure enough, pretty soon she could feel more cold, watery needles pricking at her skin. "Aaand she didn't take an umbrella. Not like she needs one, I guess..."

* * *

Heavy drops of cool, autumn rain crashed all around the heiress as she stopped in front of a small, cozy-looking restaurant on the west end of the Residential District of Vale. Shielded from the downpour by a simple repulsion glyph flying over her head, she just stood there, staring at the entrance with uncertainty present in her posture and eyes. Having seen through a window a glimpse of a large man clad in a suit with a Schnee emblem embroidered on his tie, Weiss was quite sure that it was the right place; what she was not sure, however, was that if she truly wanted to go in.

She sighed, exasperated by her own indecisiveness _._ Then, coming to a conclusion that remaining out in the rain and worrying too much won't give her anything but a headache, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, then poised herself and pressed onward, towards the entrance.

 _"She has changed after our father's death, Weiss,"_ Winter had said when the two of them spoke some time ago. _"And I believe I am beginning to see in her the woman I remember from my early childhood."_

"We shall see about that change, Winter," Weiss whispered under her breath and went inside, dismissing her glyph as she entered.

The heiress liked it in there - a myriad of enticing smells hung in the air while the soft melody of a few hushed voices mixed with quietly playing music, soothing Weiss' nerves. The interior itself was warm and inviting, with the ever-present wood and dim lighting establishing a pleasant, calming atmosphere. _A perfect place for a date,_ Weiss thought offhandedly, looking around with genuine interest in her eyes as she ventured deeper into the restaurant.

Eventually, with a small help of one of the bodyguards, she found the person she was searching for – the tall, elegantly dressed woman with white hair tied up into an off-center bun and pale blue eyes shining behind eyeglasses, sitting all by herself at one of the secluded tables, currently engrossed by whatever it was she was reading at her tablet-sized Scroll.

Her mother, Willow Schnee.

"Good evening, Mother."

The woman's eyes snapped to look at Weiss, widening in surprise. "Weiss! You actually came!" the woman exclaimed excitedly and stood up, energetically approaching the heiress and opening her arms, as if inviting a hug.

Weiss, in turn, crossed hers, which – alongside a single arched eyebrow - quickly deflated the older woman's enthusiasm. "May I ask what is the reason you wanted to meet with me?" the heiress asked, looking upwards in order to meet the other woman's gaze and internally cursing the genes that had caused her to be almost a head shorter than her parent.

Her mother, who had been nervously fiddling with her wristwatch since she realized she had gotten carried away, seemed to be genuinely hurt by that question. "I simply wished to talk with my daughter. Is that really so suspicious?" Although Weiss restrained herself and did not voice her thoughts, her expression was an answer clear enough for Willow to not need her daughter to say 'yes' aloud. Giving the young heiress a look both pleading and desperate, the woman gestured towards the free chair. "Please, Weiss. Sit with me."

Weiss sighed and begrudgingly complied, taking the offered seat. Then, hoping that this way she would make it clear to the other woman that striking up the conversation would be left entirely up to Willow, she picked up a menu from the table and began browsing it, despite the fact she hadn't decided yet if she actually wanted to order anything.

She was unwilling to start the discussion not out of malice – it was simply the fact that there was nothing she wished to speak about with the woman in front of her.

A long while of awkward silence had passed and Willow had grown restless, now painfully aware that she didn't really know what to talk about with her child. And so, having neither a choice nor an idea how to start the conversation, Weiss' mother began with the thing that was likely the first one that came to her mind. "About your injuries... how do you feel? Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine," Weiss replied curtly, not sparing her mother a single glance over the booklet. "I appreciate your concern, but it is unnecessary. Should I need any assistance, I'm more than certain I could count on my teammates to take good care of me."

Willow rested her chin on top of her clasped hands, corners of her lips slightly elevated. Despite Weiss' dismissiveness, she appeared to be quite pleased with the response. "You and your team seem to be really close," she noticed.

That caused Weiss to finally look her mother in the eye. "We are. They're like a family to me, and I know I can trust them with my life."

Willow's smile faltered for a brief moment after she heard the word 'family'; while she recovered quickly, her expression lost its sincerity. "That's... good to hear. Maybe you could tell me a bit about them?"

Weiss did not reply straightaway, just watching the other woman for a few moments warily, as if searching for something. In the end, the heiress let out a tired sigh and laid the menu down on the table, then, apparently finding no harm in humoring her mother for a bit, she relaxed and put her chin on her hand, pondering where to start her tale.

* * *

Following Weiss' departure, the remaining trio hurriedly retreated to the dining hall, where they ate their late dinner while waiting for the downpour to subside. About an hour had passed when they ultimately decided that staying there any longer was not going to change anything; in the end, they headed to their dorm despite the poor weather, running under the dark, rainy sky.

Blake dozed off not long after they had arrived at their room; wanting to let their friend to nap in peace, Ruby and Yang left the dorm and seated themselves right outside the door, where they spent the next few hours, waiting for the last member of their team to return and killing time watching movies on Ruby's Scroll.

Once the credits of their second show had rolled, Ruby decided she'd ask her sister about something that was on her mind since she had noticed some resemblance between one of the characters from the action flick they had just seen and a certain person she knew. "So, uh... where's Raven? I haven't seen her around."

"Gone, as usual. And good fucking riddance," Yang scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain, body tensing and eyes flaring red for a heartbeat. "She came to talk with me before she left. Wanted me to go with her, probably to help her rebuild her tribe. Even allowed me to take Blake with me if I wanted, and if she was willing." She huffed in mock amusement, then glanced at Ruby with a clearly forced smirk. "Didn't even mention neither you nor Weiss, though. Probably saw the two of you as a lost cause, or somethin'."

"Well, I guess I'm flattered," Ruby deadpanned.

The blonde snorted with laughter at that. "Yeah, you should be," she agreed eagerly, her words completely devoid of sarcasm. "In any case, I told her that she can go and fuck herself. She has never considered me her daughter until I proved myself strong, so I see no reason to consider her my family, either."

"It sucks."

Yang let out a silent chuckle, pulled by Ruby into a sideways hug. "That Raven is a bitch? Yeah, kinda. But hey, it's probably for the better - thanks to her leaving me and our dad I've got to have both the best mom and the best lil' sis in the whole Remnant," she said half in earnest, half in jest, getting a soft coo out of Ruby. "I'm not even sad, you know? Disappointed, if anything, but I'm not sure the word applies if I actually expected her to pull off something like that. But, well, guess it doesn't matter. I wanted answers, I got answers. Now I can leave her behind me." With a low sigh, she produced the Scroll from one of her pockets and briefly glanced at its screen, checking if she had any notifications, then once again turned her gaze towards her younger sibling. "'Nuff about Raven. How does our Princess feel?"

Ruby smiled wryly. "Worse than she lets on."

"Weiss too, huh?" the blonde asked in quiet voice, giving her younger sibling a long, meaningful look before turning her lilac eyes towards the end of the corridor. "Speak of the devil..."

The familiar staccato clicks of high heels carried from afar, echoing in the empty halls of the dorm building and announcing someone's approach. Soon enough, none other but the heiress herself turned the corner, slowing her walking pace once she noticed Ruby and her sister, seemingly a bit surprised to see the two of them sitting on the floor outside the dorm.

"Hi. What are you doing out here?"

"Talking. And waiting for you, I guess." Ruby grinned, seeing Weiss' eyeroll. "Blake fell asleep and we didn't want to disturb her, so we went outside."

Acknowledging Ruby's answer, the heiress kicked shoes off her feet and seated herself on the floor right next to her leader, careful not to irritate the still healing wound on her abdomen.

"So, how was your evening, Weiss? Tiring?"

"You've got no idea," the heiress breathed out, leaning her back against the wall and closing her eyelids.

"Well, perhaps a shower would do you some good," Yang suggested. "It's getting late, anyway."

"I'll wait for a bit, I think. Maybe until tomorrow morning. Taking a shower in my state is a bit tricky and, to be honest, I'm too tired now to bother."

Reminded of her own past experiences, the brawler drew a sharp breath, wincing while she did so. "Riiiight, gotta be careful around the wound. Well then, suit yourself. Ru?"

"Go ahead. I'll stay with Weiss for now."

Yang got up from the ground and proceeded to unlock the door. "I wonder if Blake is still aslee..." She fell silent mid-sentence after she took a peek inside their dorm, slack-jawed, freezing in place for a second before snorting with laughter and barging in. "Hey, bad Kitty! Gimme that book!"

The door closed shut behind the blonde, separating Ruby and Weiss from whatever was happening in the room. The two glanced at each other, exchanging confused looks, then burst into giggles.

"It wasn't that bad, you know?" Weiss spoke up after a while of silence that fell once they had stopped laughing. "Meeting my mother, I mean. Immensely awkward, that's for sure, but also surprisingly... civil. There was no blackmail, no patronizing, no belittling me, no trying to manipulate me into doing something I don't want to; even the restaurant we met at was not overly ostentatious. Not quite what I grew to expect from the members of my family, save for Winter, perhaps. We spoke of SDC for a while, but she kept it rather brief. For the most part she wanted to know how I am, whether or not I need anything, that sort of things... she was also awfully curious about our team. Especially you."

Ruby looked at her white-haired partner through her eyelashes, grinning. " _Oooh?_ And what did you tell her?" she questioned, playfully bumping the heiress with her shoulder.

Ignoring the feeling of her cheeks heating up, Weiss managed to keep the straight face. "What I deemed appropriate to tell her. Meaning not that much." Now that she had said it out aloud, however, she realized that she indeed might have gotten a bit carried away when she talked about her team, telling her mother more than she initially intended to. "Still, she appeared to be genuinely interested in what I had to say about the three of you." ' _She also seemed younger than I remembered her, somehow...'_

"So... do you think that she really just wanted to speak with you?"

Weiss scowled. "I think that _miss Willow Schnee_ is for some reason trying to win me over. I don't know what got into her, but if she thinks that now is the right time for her to go back to acting like a mother, then she also should be made aware that she is _over ten years too late_ ," she drawled, clenching her hands into fists.

The silver-eyed girl took a deep breath, all too aware that she was about to say something her partner was not going to like. "Well, late or not, at least she seems to be trying... And I think you should give her a chance."

While Weiss did not say a single word in response, the look Ruby was given carried a clear message: 'Carry on. And choose your words carefully, Ruby Rose, for you tread on a very thin ice'.

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck, pondering for a while how to proceed. "Look, Weiss... I think I can imagine how you feel. If one day my mom showed up on my doorstep... honestly, I'm not even sure whether I'd cry, scream at her or just shoot her - all I know is that I'd be confused, bitter and angry, quite possibly more so than I've ever been before. 'Where was she all that time when I needed her? How could she allow me, or dad, or Yang, to think that she has died?'" she confided with her gaze downcast, weakening Weiss' glare with each word she spoke. " _But_ , ultimately, it'd be an opportunity to regain something precious in life. Perhaps it wouldn't work out in the end, like in Yang's case. Perhaps the wound would happen to be too deep to heal, the differences too big to cross. But maybe - just maybe - it would be okay. Only if we tried." She sighed and turned to face her partner, placing her hand on Weiss' thigh. "It is your choice, though. And I'm gonna support you no matter what you choose."

Weiss was not sure if comparing her own situation to Ruby's was valid, but... she understood what the girl tried to convey. For a while she simply stared where she felt the warmth of her partner's touch, saying nothing, then, slowly, a soft smile crept onto her lips, her pale hand gently grasping Ruby's. "She invited us – our team, that is – to the New Year's Eve celebration ball held at Schnee manor," she let on after a few moments, if a bit grudgingly.

"You sure don't sound too thrilled."

The heiress snorted. "How could I? If it's going to be anything like the events Jacques organized, then it's rather safe to assume that most of the guests will be the kind of people I'd rather stay away from. Last time I've attended one of these parties, I've got so annoyed that I accidentally summoned a Boarbatusk in the middle of a room filled with guests."

"You _accidentally_ summoned..." Ruby stared at the other girl, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "Wow. How come?"

Weiss' fixed her gaze on the floor, visibly embarrassed. "I was on the edge long before that damned party. Surrounded by clueless fools caring about nothing but themselves that even had the _audacity_ to say that 'Vale had it coming' while attending a charity event supposed to raise funds to help the aforementioned Kingdom... I just snapped. I didn't even mean to summon anything, it... it just happened," she explained, rubbing the side of her neck. "Good thing that Ironwood was there to take care of the situation before it spun out of control."

Ruby was impressed, if in all the bad ways. "Well... damn. I guess I can see why you wouldn't want to go."

"It probably wouldn't be that bad if the three of you were with me, but I don't..."

The younger girl butted in. "I can go. And I'm pretty sure Yang and Blake wouldn't mind it, either."

Weiss arched her brows, surprised and somewhat moved by Ruby's eagerness, but pretty soon the expression of her initial bewilderment turned into a slightly mischievous grin. "Oh? I thought you were not too keen on such events? You know – elegant clothes, dancing and so on? If memory serves, you did not remember our ball at Beacon too fondly," she teased.

"Yeah, well... blame these stupid lady stilts I was wearing, and the fact I can't dance. Aaand let's not forget that I also failed to stop the baddies that night," the ravenette listed her complains, pouting. Then, she gave the heiress a sideways look, with the softest of playful smiles dancing on her lips, and added quietly: "But hey, I did not mind the pretty dress."

"Good, because it really suited you," Weiss stated, chuckling under her breath. "But please, stop it with your 'I can't dance'. It's bullshit, and I'm about to prove it to you one of these days," she promised, looking at Ruby with a smug, mischievous smirk that ultimately turned into a wide grin after she heard the other girl's nervous laughter. She closed her eyes and relaxed, resting her head atop her partner's shoulder. "Thanks, Ruby. I'll consider what you've said."

"You're welcome," a soft murmur replied her.

Not long after that, the door of the dorm opened and the other half of the team walked out of the room, carrying their towels and nightwear in their arms. Blake and Yang watched their teammates for a short while, quickly assuming the two had fallen asleep – their eyes closed, with Weiss' head on top of her partner's shoulder and Ruby's leaning against the other's scalp – but were proven wrong once they noticed a single silver iris shining under a half-lifted eyelid.

Seeing that Ruby paid them no mind, the couple walked down the corridor, heading to one of the few renovated bathrooms. When they were about to turn the corner, Blake stopped, looking back at the two girls sitting on the floor.

"What's up?"

Blake glanced towards Yang with a bright smile on her face. "Nothing," she hummed cheerfully, strolling nonchalantly past her girlfriend and around the corner, giving the blonde no other choice but to follow.

* * *

Sleep came easily to Yang and Blake that night, but not everyone in the room was as lucky as the couple bundled together on a single mattress. Both Weiss and Ruby tossed and turned for a long time, somehow finding no position they deemed comfortable despite multiple attempts; in their shared misery, they chatted for a bit, but, before long, they stopped out of fear of waking up their teammates.

And so, knowing no reason nor remedy, they waited amongst the darkness and silence, curled under their blankets in search of warmth and staring at the familiar walls until the weariness finally overcame them. Even when their consciousness began to slowly drift away, however, they could not shake off the annoyingly vague feeling that something was amiss.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

And heeere it is, FINALLY. I was seriously beginning to get sick of this chapter.

I don't know why, but writing this one was _a pain;_ even now, after many adjustments, I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it. Oh well... I just hope I won't have as many problems with the next chapter as I had with this one.


	9. Changes

_**Chapter VIII: Changes**_

Ruby was lying on her back in the empty dorm room, relatively awake though not really willing to get out of the bed just yet. She was really tired, having gotten barely any sleep last night, and yet her mind stubbornly refused to once again drift off into the world of dreams. Still, the girl did not give up, if only because of the fact that she had nothing better to do at the moment; with her eyes firmly closed she (im)patiently waited for whichever comes first: the sleep or one of her friends.

Some time had passed – maybe five minutes, maybe half an hour – and she finally began dozing off. Before she managed to slip away into the nothingness, however, the soft click of an opening lock resounded in the room.

Hearing that someone just entered the dorm, Ruby partially lifted the sleeping mask off one of her eyes and peeked in the general direction of the door. Corners of her mouth twitched a bit once she recognized the white mane and navy blue dress of the newcomer. "Hi, Weiss."

Weiss chuckled under her breath as she watched at the silver-eyed girl, slowly drinking what Ruby assumed was coffee from the mug she was holding. "Good morning, sleepyhead. How was your night?"

The sleepyhead in question sat up, moving her sleeping mask onto her scalp. "Miserable," Ruby replied with a wry grin, looking at the heiress tiredly. She closed her eyelids for a moment, rubbing the sleep from her eyes; when she opened them again, the very first thing she saw was the logo of Beacon Academy emblazoned on what was an almost full mug of coffee offered to her by Weiss. "Thanks," the ravenette said, taking the cup with a grateful smile tugging at her lips. She took a few lazy sips of the caffeinated beverage; the coffee was a bit more bitter than Ruby liked it, but as long as it helped her wake up a bit, she didn't really care. After a while, she handed the now half-empty mug to its rightful owner, who in turn promptly proceeded to down the remaining contents in one go.

"Have you seen the other two?" Weiss asked, eyeing the haphazard heap of bedding lying in the place where Yang and Blake slept. "They were already out back when I woke up and went to take a shower."

"Nope. I was about to ask you the same question, actually." Entwining her fingers behind her neck Ruby stretched, letting out a pleased little sound from her lips as all her vertebrae obediently popped into place. "Hmm. Shower sure sounds nice," she groggily pondered aloud as she cracked her neck. Throwing the blanket off herself, she crawled towards the backpack with her belongings and began rummaging through its contents, eventually pulling out a fresh change of clothes. Taking it in her arms, she stood up and walked to the door. "Be right back," she said and left the room.

* * *

Already showered and dressed in her normal attire, the silver-eyed girl crossed the doorstep of the dorm, much to her disappointment finding it empty. Then, just when she was about to close the door, she heard Weiss' voice calling her name, asking Ruby to wait. After taking a step back and peeking her head out of the room, she saw her partner approaching her from the far end of the corridor, carrying a white, steaming mug in each hand.

Once she was just a few feet away from Ruby, Weiss spoke. "I went to make some fresh coffee for us. Here, this one is yours."

Accepting the offered drink, Ruby beamed at Weiss. "You're an angel. Thanks."

The heiress rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You're welcome." She walked past the girl standing in the entrance and stepped into the dorm, then made herself comfortable on the last surviving chair in the room. Most of their old furniture shared the same fate as their beds and rest of the chairs – battered and broken, they were now nothing more than mere stacks of loose pieces arranged along one of the walls.

Once Weiss passed her by, Ruby pushed herself away from the doorframe she was leaning against and then closed the door, taking a sip from her mug while she did so; as it turned out, this time around the coffee was perfectly to her liking. Savouring her drink, she walked to the gap in the floor and perched herself on its edge, letting her feet dangle freely in the room below. "Guess we should do something about this hole if we're gonna stay here for the next four days. It's kind of a safety hazard."

Weiss smirked, teasingly lifting one of her eyebrows. "Like your bed used to be?"

"Hey, knock it off," Ruby retorted, trying to sound annoyed but failing to hide her own amusement. "It'd not fall down if the Grimm didn't tear the place apart first, and if Yang didn't punch that poor Ursa through our floor." She snorted, recalling their first visit in their dorm after Beacon was retaken, when they found out that a stray Ursa had made their old room its lair, taking a special liking to a certain Faunus' bed. "'Somebody slept in your bed, Blake. And for once it wasn't Goldilocks'."

Weiss snickered, then leaned in on her chair and rested her chin in her hand. "I thought Yang would actually punch you back then."

"Well, she sure did punch something," Ruby deadpanned, sipping from her mug. After a while she placed the cup in her lap, looking into the room below. Her smile slowly dissipated, replaced by a more thoughtful, somewhat nostalgic expression. "It's a bit weird, once again sleeping in this room. The initation, our classes, the trip to Mountain Glenn... hell, even the tournament – it all feels so distant now, as if it had happened decades ago."

Weiss nodded. "In another life, even."

"Yeah... it kind of did, didn't it."

Neither of them said anything for the next few minutes, reminiscing times past and unhurriedly drinking their coffee, too engrossed in their own thoughts to talk to each other. The silence that snuck between them was neither particularly awkward nor comfortable – it simply _was_ , at least up until the point when the door opened once again and the two remaining members of team RWBY had finally shown up.

"Hey, guys."

Ruby turned her face towards her sister. "Hi. Where have you been?"

Yang took off her jacket and casually tossed it over Ruby's head, adding it to the heap piling atop the mattress she and Blake slept on last night. "Well... Sun texted Blake and wrote that he and two of the Dorks were at Beacon and would be leaving in two hours to help clean up the city, so we went to say hello."

Ruby directed a half-annoyed, half-disappointed glare at her sister, causing the blonde to tense a bit. "And you didn't think of letting us know?"

"Uh..."

The silver-eyed girl sighed. "When are they scheduled to leave?"

"About an hour from now...?" Blake interjected, trying to take some heat off her girlfriend. "They should be somewhere around the landing platforms now, preparing."

Ruby and Weiss glanced at each other, then at their coffee mugs, then back at each other. Noticing her partner's wordless question, the heiress rolled her eyes in a well-practiced manner, then both of them hurriedly finished their drinks and stood up, saying their goodbyes, grabbing their weapons and marching out of the room mere seconds later.

Yang stuck her head out through the doorway, observing with a somewhat sheepish look on her face as the girls strode down the hallway. She pointed a single finger in the direction of the dorm. "So, uh... I guess we'll wait for you here," she called, getting a single 'okay' from Ruby in response, just before the girls disappeared around the corner.

"It seems that we have a while for ourselves," Blake assessed, amused.

Yang chuckled and retreated back into the room, the door closing behind her with a quiet creak of hinges. "Yeah, guess we do."

* * *

Though their meeting with Sun, Sage and Scarlet was cut short by the early arrival of the boys' supervisor – who happened to be professor Port – both girls had a good time, even getting an opportunity to chat with their old teacher for a while. They would have stayed longer, but when they learned that the guys still had a few things to do before they could set out, Ruby and Weiss bode the lads farewell and headed back, not wanting to take too much of their friends' time.

Once they left the boys far behind them, Ruby stole a quick glance at her partner; she was tempted to ask the heiress if she was disappointed they were not able to meet with Neptune, remembering that Weiss used to have a crush on the boy, but the question just did not want to leave her throat.

"It kinda sucks for Neptune that he's still stuck in the hospital," she said instead, genuinely feeling sorry for the young man. According to what they had learned, Neptune felt a lot better at this point, but the doctors still wanted to keep an eye on him for the next two days. Apparently bored out of his mind, he was now – as Sun put it – 'even more of an idiot than he usually was'.

"Well, at least they'll let him out before the anniversary."

Their journey back was rather uneventful - excluding their typical, friendly banter – and before long they had climbed the last flight of stairs, reaching their destination. Coming to a halt in front of the dorm, Ruby fished her Scroll from the pouch by her belt and pressed the device to the card reader, then pushed the door open... only to slam them shut as soon as she took a brief look inside. Her hand did not leave the doorknob, clutching it with enough force for her knuckles to turn pale, as if her vice grip was meant to ensure that whatever horrors she saw in there would remain locked inside.

"I didn't need to see thaaaaat," she hissed, clenching her eyelids shut as her face was quickly getting visibly flushed. Some muffled, intelligible words came from the other side of the wall and someone blocked the door from within the room; only then did Ruby relinquish her hold of the knob, taking a few steps backwards and leaning her back against the opposite wall.

Weiss arched an eyebrow at her partner, having no clue what caused Ruby to react like that. "See what? The two of them making out?" She figured there had to be more to it than that, but she preferred to not assume the worst just yet.

A short, a bit histerical laugh escaped Ruby's throat. "Just making out? I'd sure have preferred that."

"Were they... indecent?" Weiss asked warily, not liking at all where this was going.

A stiff nod. " _Very_."

For a moment Weiss simply stared at Ruby, wide-eyed, well aware that simple nudity would not leave Ruby so perplexed. "You... you don't mean you saw them..." she mumbled in disbelief, feeling her cheeks growing hotter by the second.

"Yup. Totally did. I just walked on my sister having sex with her girlfriend."

With a face now almost as red as Ruby's trademark cloak, Weiss slammed her palm against the door, coping with her increasing uneasiness by unleashing her annoyance at the poor souls that had caused it. "You _idiots!_ " Ignoring the steady stream of audibly embarassed apologies coming from the room, she carried on screaming. "Couldn't you at least, I don't know, put a sock on the doorknob or something?!"

"W-we're sorry, okay?! We just didn't think you'd be back so soon!"

"Haaaaaahh..." Weiss exhaled loudly, placing the palm of her left hand across her reddened face. "We're going to the caffeteria. Make yourselves presentable before you go there." With that, the heiress turned away and stormed off, her partner following closely behind.

The two of them left the building without saying a single word to each other, actively avoiding eye contact as they walked side by side across the school grounds. Only after they had already covered over a half of the distance between the dorms and the dining hall did Weiss decide to break this silence, memory of her blush still present on her pale features.

"Do you think we interrupted their... well, y-you know?" Now that she had a moment to cool down a bit, the heiress sounded actually concerned.

"First time?" Seeing Weiss' meek nod, Ruby waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, I know for sure they did it back in Atlas, maybe even before that." She managed to say that with a straight face, but nonetheless some redness returned to her cheeks.

"You _know_? How?"

Ruby rubbed the side of her neck and turned her head to the left, hoping to hide her face from her partner. Regardless of her efforts, however, her traitorous blood still outed her, rushing to her ears that were still clearly visible to the heiress. "Don't ask."

Respecting her friend's wish, Weiss tactfully did not pry into the matter. She opted to change the topic instead, wanting to avoid any further awkwardness, and Ruby was grateful to her for that. Although this air of mild uneasiness still hung between the two of them, they were able to talk normally, almost forgetting about the whole incident with Yang and Blake by the time they finished their breakfast and were about to leave the dining hall. And then, the moment they crossed the doorstep and walked out, their composure was once again destroyed when they bumped right into the other half of the team.

For a while the four girls just stood there, avoiding eye contact, none of them saying a word until Yang mustered her will and finally spoke up, hoping to dissolve some of the tension. "Huh, seems you two started without us." She was by no means angry or disappointed when she said that, simply desperate to end this awkward silence.

Ruby's eyes twinkled mischievously after she heard her sister. "Well, I thought you already ate your breakfast," she replied in innocent voice, while the intention behind her words was anything but.

Although it seemed that Yang and Weiss thought nothing of the sly smile that was present on Ruby's lips while the girl spoke, Blake quickly connected the dots and figured out what the other brunette had actually meant. Her eyes going wide and cheeks flushing red, the Faunus simply stared at Ruby in apparent surprise, with her cat ears perked up atop her hair, as if she didn't believe what she had just heard. For a brief moment the girl's reaction left Weiss a bit puzzled, but pretty soon something clicked in the heiress' mind and she snapped her head to gape at her partner, mirroring the look on Blake's face.

Yang just quirked her eyebrow, meeting her sister's gaze. "Huh? No, we just went to see Sun and his team, then headed straight to..." She paused for a while as a spark of understanding gleamed in her eyes. "Our... dorm..." Gentle blush adorning the blonde's features up to this point rapidly grew in size and intensity as the realization sunk in, rendering the poor girl speechless.

In the meanwhile, Ruby's smirk turned into an impish grin as she watched an expression of pure, world-shattering shock settle on Yang's face. "What's the matter, sis? _Cat got your tongue?_ " Being almost surprised to not see any steam come out of her sister's ears, she comitted this image of very, very embarassed Yang to memory. When Ruby eventually spoke again, she was practically crying tears of laughter. "Oh, nevermind. Have a nice meal." With that, she casually strolled past her sister.

Yang, the supposed master of puns and witty banter, seemed to be at a complete loss for words, mouth agape, her stare following Ruby as if she saw the girl for the first time in her life. "My little sis telling dirty jokes?" she mumbled, then turned her face towards the two teammates in front of her. "My poor heart was not ready for that."

Weiss, having more and more problems with keeping her face straight, reassuringly patted the blonde on the back and then trotted after Ruby, soon catching up with her partner. Her frame shaking with mirth and her face flushed from holding back her laughter, the silver-eyed girl looked over her shoulder, watching the other pair with interest. Blake walked to Yang and, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend, led the blonde towards the entrance to the dining hall, casting one last glance at the other brunette and, visibly entertained, shaking her head in disbelief before walking inside.

The moment the couple disappeared within the building, Ruby finally cracked, bursting out laughing.

The heiress, snickering herself, simply watched the other girl until Ruby calmed down a bit. "What the hell was that?"

Ruby took a long, deep breath and exhaled loudly, then dried her eyes with her thumb, still grinning. "Just a bit of sisterly teasing. Yang can't have all the fun, can she now?" she replied, looking very pleased with herself, then began to walk away, her partner marching by her side.

"I always thought that your sister knows no concept of shame, but it seems you've just proved me wrong." Weiss clasped her hands together and looked Ruby in the eye. "Teach me, please."

Hearing this plea, Ruby snorted with laughter. "Sorry to disappoint you, Weiss, but I'm afraid it was possible mostly due to the shock of a sudden realization that her little sister is no longer the innocent flower she took her for."

"Wow, that's cruel," Weiss assessed, then chuckled under her breath. "Well, in her defense, she was not the only one who was surprised."

The ravenette playfully swatted Weiss in the arm, her toothy grin destroying the effect of her feigned indignance. "Hey! I might not have any experience of my own, but that doesn't mean I'm so 'pure' I can't come up with an innuendo, okay?"

"How and when did that happen?"

With a strangely elfin smile present on her lips, Ruby tilted her head and gave her partner a long, sideways look that colored Weiss' cheeks with a bit of healthy rosiness. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

* * *

After a whole day spent with Blake on semi-actively avoiding both Ruby and Weiss, Yang, already dressed in her nightwear and with her blonde mane wrapped in a towel, was sneaking through the empty corridors of the dorm building, silently making her way from the showers to her team's old dorm room. She planned to go to sleep before the other pair – who, as far as she know, were still hanging out somewhere with Jaune and the rest of his team – returned to the room, hoping that this way she and Blake would make it less awkward for everyone.

There was also the issue of Ruby's new weapon of sisterly banter, one that Yang was not mentally prepared to fight against just yet. ' _I will adapt, and I will have my revenge,'_ the blonde promised to herself. ' _But that's probably not gonna happen today...'_ With that thought, she opened the door to her team's dorm... only to freeze once she noticed that Ruby was already there, lying on her mattress and doing something on her Scroll, her face being the only thing that was illuminated in the otherwise dark room. The girl's silver eyes, shining in the soft light emitted by the device's screen, zeroed on Yang.

"Haven't seen you all day."

Painfully aware that it was too late to retreat at this point, Yang reluctantly stepped inside and closed the door, sincerely regretting not having waited for Blake to finish her shower. Then again, she supposed the situation would be just as awkward if the Faunus was present – if not even more so. "I, uh... yeah, I guess."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Ruby said once Yang walked across the room and laid down, her voice theatrically thoughtful. "After all, you've never been the one to leave your business _unfinished_."

For the next few seconds Yang looked at her younger sibling with a blank expression, needing a moment to process what she had just heard. Then, slowly, a small grin appeared on her face, matching the toothy smile of her sister. Feeling some tension leave her, Yang propped herself on her elbow. "You're not gonna let me live that one down anytime soon, are ya."

"Nope."

"You know that I'll get you for that one day, right?"

"Not if I lock my door," Ruby retorted, sticking out her tongue. Then, surprisingly, her expression suddenly changed into one of concern. "I haven't gone too far with these jokes, have I?"

Yang laughed softly, feeling a bit better about the whole situation now, as her little sister's question had alleviated some of her earlier embarassment. "Nah. You just caught me with my pants down, in more senses than one," the blonde said, traces of laughter audible in her voice. Then her reassuring smile turned into a smirk. "But, well, seeing that it's us who didn't think of blocking the door, I suppose you could say we had it _coming_."

Hearing Ruby's groan, Yang chuckled and laid back down on her cot, grinning to herself. While it was true that her baby sister was growing up a bit faster than she would like her to, she still could take solace in the thought that not everything was going to change.

* * *

At six to eleven in the evening, two days after their last visit in the headmaster's office, team RWBY once again found themselves walking into the spacious room at one of the upper floors of the Tower. Although both Ozpin and professor Goodwitch were nowhere to be seen, it turned out that the girls were not the only guests supposed to meet with the headmaster that night, nor the first ones to arrive – Qrow, leaning his back against one of the pillars, was also present, talking with a young, amber-eyed Huntress that none of the girls knew. Noticing their arrival, the Huntsman smirked, and Ruby, elated to see her uncle, rushed to his side almost immediately.

Once she was done with their usual greeting ritual and took a moment to look around, Ruby observed the presence of the tall, white-haired woman that stood by one of the windows, realizing that Qrow was not the only familiar face in the room. Weiss seemed to be aware of that fact, too.

As Winter watched her sister hurrying in her direction, a soft smile bloomed on her lips, growing in size when the siblings embraced. The two of them then talked for the next few minutes, happy to see each other, before the heiress eventually excused herself and returned to the rest of her team, who were chatting with Qrow and his colleague.

The woman appeared to be in her mid-twenties and dressed in a way Weiss would expect of someone who was used to a much warmer climate, her straight, shoulder-length brown hair framing a fairly attractive, tanned face. As the heiress approached the group, the woman's golden eyes turned to look at her with friendly curiosity.

Weiss figured that the Huntress was well aware who she was, but decided to introduce herself regardless for politeness' sake. "I don't think we have met," she said, outstretching her hand in welcome. "Weiss Schnee."

The woman shook heiress' hand, appreciating the gesture. "Ah, yes. Amber Terra, from Vacuo. Delighted to finally make your acquaintance."

Weiss' first impression of Amber was one of a nice, energetic person. She was not sure, however, how she felt about the fact that the way the woman looked at her reminded her of a certain blonde thinking of the best way to mess with her.

Before the heiress made up her mind, the door of the elevator opened and another Huntsman she did not recognize marched into the office, taking Amber's attention away from Weiss.

Suddenly, the woman let out a rather loud "Oh!" and hurried towards the newcomer with open arms, leaving Qrow and the girls. "Aidan, my boy, you finally showed up!"

Once the Vacuo woman walked away to greet her friend, Qrow turned his face towards Weiss and looked the heiress up and down with genuine interest. "I didn't think I'd see you up and about so soon, kiddo. Seems you're tougher than you look, huh?"

"You're not the only one who's surprised, old man," Ruby chimed in before Weiss could respond, smirking when the man narrowed his eyes at her. "Even the doctor said she's healing 'freakishly fast'," she said, making quotation marks in the air.

Qrow pointed his finger at his niece's face threateningly. "I'm not 'old'," he drawled, glaring at the girl for a few more seconds before his attention once again shifted to focus on the heiress. "Huh."

It appeared that the Huntsman had something on his mind as he stared at Weiss, thinking of something, but before any of the girls could ask him what it was, the door leading upstairs had opened and Ozpin strode into the office, professor Goodwitch following closely behind.

The man cast a sweeping glance at everyone in the room, then proceeded to greet his guests. "Ah, good, seems that everyone is already here. Welcome. Please, have a seat." Setting his cane to rest against his armchair, Ozpin placed both of his hands atop his desk and waited for everyone to make themselves comfortable on the provided for them chairs; while most accepted the offer, Qrow remained on his place by the column near the elevator, while Ruby opted to position herself behing her sister's seat and lean against the backrest of the chair. "Earlier this week we've gained a great victory for the humanity as a whole – Salem is dead. With her defeat most Creatures of Grimm have withdrawn from our major cities, leaving people of Remnant free to return to their homes and rebuild, and, one day, to enjoy this new age of peace that's ahead of us. This, however, would not have been possible if not for the continuous efforts of all members of the Circle... especially the four of our guests." His gaze was slowly shifting from one person to another as he spoke, pausing for a moment on the group of four young women before carrying on. "For that effort and all the sacrifices you've made, I thank you, in the name of all the good people you've saved."

Blake knitted her eyebrows, taking notice of Ozpin's choice of words – 'especially' instead of 'and', as if he had already included the girls when he mentioned the Circle. "Does that mean we are a part of the Circle now? Just like that?"

"Only if that's what you wish for. As I've said before, I've never had any right to sign you all up for this war, and after everything you've been through I can't, and won't, ask of you to join us."

To everyone's surprise, Ruby scoffed after hearing these words. "You keep saying that, professor, but with all due respect..." she spoke, slowly circling Ozpin's desk and staring the man straight in the eye as she walked, ignoring the fact that the attention of every person in the room was now trained on her. "While I do not doubt that you feel sincerely sorry for every single soul that has suffered in this conflict, ourselves included, I also believe that you'd not hesitate to try and make use of us once again if the need arose, with or _without_ our consent," she stated, stopping by the left side of the clock-window, and arched her eyebrow at Ozpin, as if daring him to convince her otherwise. "Or am I mistaken?"

"No, Ruby. You are not," the headmaster replied in a calm, almost detached manner, much in the same way as he spoke at the entrance ceremony over two years ago. Then, his expression softened and a quiet, tired sigh escaped his throat. "Do you hold it against me?"

The silver-eyed girl did not reply immediately, leaning against the cold glass and gazing at the lights of the city of Vale flickering in the distance. "Not really. You do what you deem necessary in order to save the humanity. Besides, this is what being Huntresses is all about, isn't it? Protecting people, even at the cost of our own lives." Eventually, she turned her heard towards Ozpin, her expression neither sympathetic nor resentful, simply serious. "All I'm saying is that we'd appreciate if you were straight with us, and didn't keep us in the dark for a change. There's only so much bullshit we can take before we grow tired of it."

People watched her with varying looks painted on their faces – some compassionate, some entertained, some approving; Ozpin's was one of respect, maybe even pride.

"Of course. If the Vigil is to be successful, every member of the Circle – including the four of you, should you join us – should be equipped with every piece of information that might prove useful."

Weiss frowned and glanced at her teammates, then, seeing that all of them were just as clueless as she was, proceeded to question the headmaster on the behalf of the team. "'The Vigil'?"

Ozpin sat on his desk in a way that allowed him to have all the people gathered in the room within his view, including Ruby. "As you already know, killing the Witch is merely a temporary solution... but, sadly, also the best one we have. The good news is that, in theory, every new Witch – an Apprentice, if you will - is relatively vulnerable in their early years, having neither the full power nor the allies and resources of their predecessor. We can take advantage of that, of course... but before we do that, we obviously need to find them first," Ozpin said, then smiled wryly. "Problem is, we don't know who the next Witch will be, or even where and when they might appear. So we keep a neverending watch, looking everywhere and searching for the Witch's successor, all the while protecting this world from those who would like to see it thrown into chaos – that's what the Vigil is about."

"And how do we find said succesor, exactly? What do we even look for?"

Hearing her girlfriend's question, Yang let out short, humorless laugh. "Well, if Salem was anything to go by, then it should be pretty damn obvious that someone is a Witch the moment you see them."

"A very good question," Ozpin responded to Blake, bowing his head approvingly. "Sadly, it's not that simple, Yang. While it is possible to recognize any Witch by their appearance – usually by some sort of a stigma - it is obvious only in the case of 'older' Witches. As for the Apprentices... If you're lucky, you might spot their mark; if not, it's still possible to... well, _sense_ them _._ They also 'bleed' smoke from their wounds, in much the same way Grimm do."

"Like Cinder did?" Yang asked quietly, recalling with painful vividity the image of her baby sister standing over the beheaded corpse of the woman that caused the Fall of Beacon, the clouds of thick, black smoke coming from the stump of the neck and the gaping wound in Cinder's abdomen.

The old professor nodded. "Yes. In fact, I believe that late Cinder Fall was a good example of what the Apprentice would look and be like."

Ruby, who was still standing by the window and observing the world outside, suddenly turned towards Ozpin. "Wait. Are you implying that Cinder also was a Witch?"

"No, as there can be only one Witch at one time. That being said, she'd possibly became one if she outlived Salem. Ambitious, power hungry individuals that have abandoned their humanity - those are the ones that are most likely to become a new vessel for Dark One's power." Ozpin clasped his hands together and rested them on his stomach as he considered for a while what else should he mention. "Just like all my predecessors were men, every single Witch was female, either human or Faunus; unlike me, however, they do not suffer any drawback of old age aside from losing the protection Aura provides. Instead, their bodies turn into something more akin to the Creatures of Grimm than humans or Faunus – ageless husks, no longer able to generate an Aura... but perfectly capable of channeling the power of the Dark One."

Winter, who up to this moment remained completely silent, finally spoke up. "Is there any way to know how much time do we have before the next Witch appears?"

"Yes and no. It's technically possible to very roughly predict when a Witch might show up, as most of them have appeared during or shortly after the times of great unrest, when Creatures of Grimm were on the rise... but that's all we've got."

"Like before the Great War, or the Faunus Rights Revolution?" Blake suggested.

"Correct. In fact, the Great War would likely never had happened if not for the machinations of Salem's predecessor." The headmaster grimaced. "Regrettably, we don't know much about Salem herself; we had been unaware of her existence up until about twenty three years ago, when she was already a full-fledged Witch."

Qrow chuckled under his breath, scratching the short stubble along his jawline. "Twenty three... damn, Oz, you actually do make me feel old. I hate that about you."

Ruby rolled her eyes playfully. "Lemme guess - it's been you who has found her?"

The very moment his niece spoke up and reminded him of her presence in the room, Qrow's expression turned into one belonging to a man who knows he had fucked up. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he silently mouthed a curse, then, reluctantly, looked at Ruby, forcing a smirk. "Nope. Your mom did. That's how our team got involved with the Circle in the first place."

The silver-eyed girl deflated a bit. "Oh." ' _Add that to the list of things that potentially got mom killed, I guess...'_

Yang was quick to set the conversation back on track, hoping it would take her sister's mind off things. "Okay, let's say we've learned that she's somewhere out there. What's the stage two? Track the bitch down and get rid of her?"

Although the question was directed at Ozpin, Qrow was the first one to answer. "The Witch Hunt. So yeah, pretty much, though it's much easier said than done. And if we're unlucky and _again_ screw up killing her before she gains power, allies and resources– we're at War, and thousands die. No pressure."

Ruby snorted at that, stepping away from the window. "Yeah, no pressure whatsoever." Returning to the place where the rest of her team was seated, she plopped on the empty chair between Blake and Weiss, then turned her eyes at Ozpin. "So, that whole Vigil thing... what should we do?"

"If we are to find the next Witch in time, we must bolster our numbers, as there are less than one hundred of Circle members in all four Kingdoms at this moment; we need more trusty eyes, watching over the the whole Remnant." The headmaster paused for a moment and stood up. Placing both of his hands on his desk, he leaned a bit forwards and looked the girls in the eye. "And this brings me to a question... will you join us?"

The girls glanced at one another, then back at Ozpin.

"What would we be expected to do?" asked Weiss.

"To focus on your studies until you graduate, obviously," professor Goodwitch stated, smirking a bit after seeing the surprised looks she was given. "Of course, you'd still be informed of any developments that might occur as soon as possible. We, in turn, would simply expect of you to keep your eyes open, and possibly investigate some leads for us."

"And after we graduate?"

Glynda pushed her glasses up her nose as she took a brief moment to ponder over her answer. "I believe you already have a pretty good idea how we work and what we do. You'll be Huntresses, first and foremost; the main difference between you and other alumni will be your knowledge about the world we live in, and the responsibilities coming with said knowledge." She smiled sadly. "In fact, you all have already begun walking this path. Now you simply have to decide whether or not you wish to continue pressing onwards."

After a while of consideration, Yang crossed her arms, then, turning her face towards the rest of the team, nodded. Weiss and Blake were quick to respond with similiar gesture, and Ruby, who did not want to pressure any of her teammates into joining on her account, was the last one to follow suit.

The brawler's gaze returned to the man sitting behind the desk. "Well, seems that all four of us are in. Are we supposed to swear an oath, or something?"

Ozpin chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No, nothing so formal; we used to have an oath a long time ago, but later it became the oath every Huntsman and Huntress is supposed to swear when they graduate their Academy. For now, all I need is to just hear you say 'yes'."

And that's exactly what he heard a moment later - 'yes' uttered by four different voices speaking one after the other.

Other members welcomed the four young Huntresses to the Circle with amiable smiles or supportive word; especially Winter seemed to be pleased, pride gracing her features when she congratulated her sister and the rest of the team. Qrow, on the other hand, didn't say a word, probably not seeing a reason to; he simply smirked, looking at the girls approvingly, his arms thrown around his nieces' necks from behind of their seats.

Once everyone said their piece, Ozpin continued. "While we are still by the subject of recruiting more trusty eyes for our cause..." His eyes turned towards the black-haired Faunus. "Blake, what can you tell me about your parents?"

* * *

The meeting continued well into the night as they discussed various matters, from reports about other Kingdoms that were brought by Winter, Amber and Aidan – who had turned out to be the representative of Mistral - to the long-term plans of the Circle, like recruitment of new members or hunting down the few allies of Salem that were still out there. When the last question of the night was finally answered, the soft light of the dawn had already tinged the eastern horizon with a lighter shade of blue.

Ozpin was sitting in his armchair, leisurely sipping coffee from his trademark mug as he watched his guests unhurriedly preparing to leave. Though he was quite satisfied – to say the least - with the course of the meeting, he knew he had one more thing to do before everyone headed their own way.

"Before we end tonight's meeting... I have one more announcement to make." Once the soft murmur of casual conversation dissipated and every face in the room was turned towards him, he took a deep breath and continued. "With the start of the new academic year, I'm going to step down from the position of the headmaster of Beacon Academy. From that point onwards, Glynda Goodwitch will take up the mantle of the headmistress of this school."

For a few moments the dead silence permeated the air, eyes of everyone staring at the gray-haired man with various degrees of shock. As one could expect, professor Goodwitch was an exception; still, Ozpin's declaration left some impression on her – instead of being surprised, she seemed to be uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

For the first time during the whole meeting, Qrow seemed to be actually taken aback. "What about you, Oz?" the Huntsman questioned, a small frown marring his forehead.

"I think it'd be best if I kept low profile for some time. As for the details... well, they remain to be seen."

"Headmistress..." Glynda tasted the word on her tongue, then, after a moment of consideration, shook her head a bit. "This will take some getting used to."

"Yeah..." Yang murmured, every bit as stunned by this announcement as the rest of her team. "It will be weird without you around, professor Ozpin."

"I'm inclined to agree," the blonde professor sighed, then looked the headmaster in the eye, her lips forming a slightly bitter, self-deprecating simper. "I just hope that the trust you put in me and my abilities is not misplaced."

Ozpin simply smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure you are going to take good care of this place, dear friend, just as you have been for many years. And please, let's not make my retirement sound so final..." Suddenly, a soft, green glow encompassed the headmaster's body, quickly turning more and more opaque until the man appeared to be nothing more than a silhouette woven from pure radiance. Then, just as abruptly as it began, the light disappeared, revealing the form of a young, green-eyed lad with black hair and tanned complexion now sitting in Ozpin's armchair, a small grin present on his freckled face as he looked at the people gathered in front of him. "After all, the entrance ceremony will hardly be the last time we are going to see each other."

* * *

The four members of team RWBY left the CCT Tower walking besides Winter – who was still slightly distracted after seeing Ozpin's little 'trick' for the first time – and a bit broodier than usual Qrow. The sun, having already risen above the horizon by now, was hiding behind the massive building housing the office that would in a few months belong to Glynda Goodwitch, the outline of the spire set ablaze with the light of the morning.

Once the group marched past the two of the four shallow ponds located in front of the Tower and stopped in the middle of the courtyard, about to part ways with Winter, Ruby faced her partner's older sister. "So, Winter... are you going to stay in Vale for long?"

The woman shook her head, then looked to the west, in the direction of the air harbor. "No. I'm heading back to Atlas in three hours; there's much to do back home, and I also need to report to general Ironwood as soon as possible."

"Would you mind if I accompanied you for about an hour or so?" Weiss asked, visibly disappointed by the news.

Winter seemed to be somewhat pleased by that question. "No, I wouldn't."

Knowing that tagging along with her sister meant going different way than the rest of the team, Weiss directed her baby-blue eyes towards her teammates, silently asking them if they had anything against it.

Ruby smiled in response to the pleading look she was given, then gestured with her head for Weiss to go. "Sure, go. We'll see you back in the dorm." She turned towards the heiress' sister. "Have a good day, Winter."

With a small, respectful bow the woman bid the group farewell, then walked away along with Weiss, the two of them waved off by the remainder of the team. After a while, Ruby, Blake, Yang and Qrow headed their own way, south, towards the ballroom and the dorm building.

"I wonder, Blake..." the Huntsman spoke once the Schnee sisters were nothing more than two small figures barely perceivable in the distance, "how do you feel about the prospect of recruiting your parents to the Circle?"

Blake glanced at Qrow, then let her gaze drop to the ground as she considered what to say, her cat ears lying flat atop her scalp. "I... I'm not sure. I can see why Ozpin does think it's a good idea... hell, to be honest part of me even agrees with him. They're influential, especially among Faunus. Trustworthy, too. It's just... they are my parents. I'm not sure if I want to get them involved." She sighed and once again looked at the man, shaking her head. "I really don't know. I need some time to think this through."

Qrow nodded in understanding. "Sure thing, take your time. There's a reason why Oz left the decision up to you." Having said that, he proceeded to address the rest of the team. "So, the four you are gonna stay here until the anniversary, then head to Patch, right?"

Ruby was the one to answer. "Yup, that's the plan. Well, for Weiss and I at least. These two," she pointed her finger at her companions in a mock-accusatory manner, "are going to be stolen by Blake's parents for the next week, and because of that I'm gonna miss her birthday."

The Faunus girl rolled her eyes. "It's not like you two can't come with us that day, Ruby. I didn't think I needed to stress that."

"Yeah, I know, I know. I just kinda assumed that your parents would like to, y'kno, have you all for themselves."

A short, soft laugh made its way past Blake's lips. "You might be right about that. Still, I don't think they would mind it too much – after all, they wanted to get to know not only my girlfriend, but also both of my honorary sisters, and I suppose it is as good occassion as any."

"D'aww," Ruby cooed, pulling the smiling Faunus into a sideways hug.

"And what about you, Qrow?" Yang asked. "Will you stay in Vale for now?"

"For a while, yeah. I doubt I'll be staying here for long, though; Autumn and Spring won't find themselves all on their own, now will they?"

Ruby shrugged. "Well, that could happen. It won't, but it _could_."

They kept on going south, strolling down a somewhat enchanting alley with young trees growing on both sides of the road, leaves of gold swaying slightly in the chilly, autumn wind. The girls didn't talk much, weary after a relatively long day and eager to reacquaint themselves with their makeshift cots. Qrow, on the other hand, didn't participate in their lazy conversation at all, nor did he seem to pay any attention to the words they spoke; busy contemplating something that was on his mind, all he did as they walked was sneak brief glances at Ruby from time to time, knitting his brows a bit every time he did so.

Eventually, Ruby had taken notice of her uncle's behaviour and nudged him with her elbow, bringing the man out of his reverie. "What's up, Qrow?"

The Huntsman blinked, then looked at his niece questioningly. "Huh?"

"You kinda look as if you wanted to tell me something."

"Uh, yeah, I guess..." he muttered, breaking the eye contact and rubbing the back of his neck, as if he was feeling guilty. "I'm just sorry that I dumped that piece of info on you out of the blue. You know, the one about your mom."

"Don't worry. I do know that your urge to brag tends to get the better of you," she assured in a deadpan voice, getting a snort of laughter out of Yang and making Qrow relax enough to feign an indignant stare, to which Ruby responded with a soft smile. "Seriously though, it's not a problem. I'm not a kid anymore, and it's not like I'm going to cry every time someone mentions Mom. Sure, it was not exactly pleasant, but... it's not a bad feeling, knowing that I managed to finish something she has started."

The man chuckled, throwing his arm around his niece's shoulder. "Heh. Yeah, she'd be proud of you. Yell at you for risking your life so much, too, not to mention brutally murdering yours truly for dragging her precious offspring into this whole mess." He ruffled Ruby's hair affectionately, disheveling girl's mane much in the same way he did her mother's all those years ago, and smiled to himself. "You might not be Summer, but you sure are her daughter." An idea sparked in his mind, quickly turning his smile into a grin. "Your hair is just as fluffy and fun to mess with as hers, y'see."

A moment and a single half-hearted elbow to the gut later, Qrow still believed the laugh was worth the price he had to pay, his niece snickering along with him as the four of them continued strolling through the campus grounds basked in the warm glow of the morning sun.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

And there I was, hoping that this chapter won't pose as many problems as the last one did. Oh brother, how young and naive I was...

Sigh... Sorry for leaving you guys hanging for three flippin' months (damn you, university). I don't think I'm entirely satisfied with the final outcome, either, but, still, I hope I did not disappoint you with this update... too much, anyway.

If you have a moment to spare, I'd really appreciate if you told me what you liked or disliked about this chapter or the story so far as a whole – it would really mean a lot.

 **Guest (A me):** It is a consolation! Kind of. I mean, I'm still annoyed as hell at myself that it took me so long to get through that one (and this one too, in fact...), but I'm really glad you were able to enjoy it. I'm also really grateful you mentioned what you liked about previous chapter!

 **TheLatiKing:** "I wish chapters were made faster" - you and me both, my friend. You and me both. In theory, future chapters should be far easier for me to write (while this one was especially hard for a few reasons, mostly the meeting part), but nowadays I also have much less time to write than I used to, mostly because of the university. In any case, I'll try my best to be faster, because – and believe me when I say it – no one is more pissed off at my writing pace than I am myself.

 **Anonymous guest:** I will continue, don't worry. Still, thanks; it's always gratifying to see that there are people who would like the story to continue c:


	10. Ad Memoriam

_**Chapter IX: Ad Memoriam**_

Scattered across the black vastness of the night sky, the stars shone brightly in the darkness - eternal, uncaring witnesses of mortal happiness and misery. Beneath, as if being a mirror reflecting the starry firmament overhead, the courtyard in front of the Beacon Tower was littered with a myriad of little lights flickering on the chilly autumn breeze, their warm glow illuminating dozens of faces painted with sorrow and shining in hundreds of teary eyes. People of all nations, occupations and ages gathered in this place, each one of them holding a lit paper lantern in their hands, wishing to pay a tribute to those who had suffered that fateful evening two years ago and in the unseen conflict that had followed. A gray-haired man stood on one of the shores of this living lake of light, in the centre of everyone's attention, delivering a speech for all to hear.

Nothing but the soft murmur of occassional sobs and the quiet wailing of the wind disrupted the profuse silence hanging among the crowd as the old headmaster's voice washed over the people. He spoke beautifully of great loss and suffering, of loved ones taken away too soon and the duty of those who had stayed: to honor the memory of the departed by living on, to learn from past mistakes, and, above everything else, to never forget, as ultimately there was only one thing they could offer to all the poor souls that had died: remembrance.

He turned to his right, towards the massive stone tablet covered with names of the people that were killed during the Fall of Beacon, his saddened, tired eyes tracing the golden letters and the shattered logo of Vytal Festival meticulously carved in white marble. Then, after a short while had passed, he bowed his head in respect and let go of the lantern he held in his hand, releasing it into the sky above.

Soon, the crowd followed Ozpin's example and dozens of little lights slowly floated towards the stars, swaying slightly in the gentle wind that carried them away. Tears trailed down Ruby's face as the girl watched these soaring lanterns, the sight reminding her of the souls that had left this sad world – bright, unburdened, and free of pain, their glow no longer warmed those who stayed behind; still, said glow did not disappear completely, present in memory and twinkling high in the sky. Then, when her glossy eyes wandered to the marble memorial and found two names that were dear to her, the remains of her composure crumbled into dust, destroyed by the finality of the situation, the proof of their loss carved in cold stone. And so, heartbroken, she burst into undignified sobs, then turned towards Jaune and hid her face in his hoodie, seeking comfort in an embrace. The young man accepted her without a word, returning the hug that he believed he needed just as much as she did.

Seeing the two of them like that, Weiss frowned, feeling an unpleasant, confusing emotion swell in her chest, temporarily silencing her sadness. She logically understood why Ruby had approached the boy – even if he hadn't been the person that stood closest to her, he was the one who best understood her current sorrow, and it was likely that Ruby's hug was meant for both of their sakes – but she was still tempted to just shove Jaune aside and then take his place. She simply wanted to be the one her partner relied on, to console Ruby and alleviate her suffering, to wipe the tears away from her face; at this very moment, however, she felt as if she was being denied both her right and her job.

Well aware of the fact that she was being irrational, Weiss turned away and looked at Blake and Yang, only to regret it almost immediately, as seeing the two of them also locked in an embrace only made her feel even more left out and physically cold. With a heavy heart and a clenched throat, the heiress averted her eyes and directed her gaze towards the dark sky, hoping to escape the all too familiar feeling of loneliness that threatened to crush her whole.

Heavens over the city of Vale were littered with countless glowing dots, twinkling like stars but far less distant and uncaring. Thousands upon thousands of little lights, each and every single one of them being a memory of loves lost, a wordless prayer, or a farewell that came too late to be said in person. Despite all their differences, the people of Vale mourned together that night, and the signs of their shared grief that dotted the sky were a sight haunting in its sad beauty.

After some time had passed, a gentle hand touched Weiss' shoulder, bringing her back from her contemplation. When the heiress turned around, she met a pair of bloodshot silver eyes that were looking right back at her, glistening in the darkness. Before she could say anything, to lie and assure Ruby that she was okay, the white-haired girl was pulled in a firm, caring embrace. She smiled weakly, unwanted tears beginning to flow down her cheeks for a reason unknown, and found herself melting in her best friend's arms. Still, something felt amiss, and the thought confused her deeply.

 _I got what I wanted_... w _hy then does it hurt so damn much?_

* * *

As the sky lanterns flew higher and higher towards the starry firmament, the crowd in front of the Beacon Tower began to slowly dissipate; Ruby, Jaune and all of their teammates were among those who had stayed in the courtyard for a while longer, standing before the memorial of white and gold. Eventually, Ruby pried her eyes away from the letters carved in stone and looked around, noticing that someone was heading their way; visibly shocked, with a face of someone who had just seen a ghost, the girl felt her chest tighten at the sight of painfully familiar green irises and red hair. Though the woman she stared at was most definitely not Pyrrha – the shoulder-length mane was a bit darker, the frame less athletic, the face rounder and more mature – the resemblance to her fallen friend left Ruby speechless, as if a spectral hand had crushed the girl's heart in its ruthless grip. She had never met that person, of that she was sure; she did, however, have a pretty good idea who that woman was.

Meeting with Pyrrha's mother, although quite brief, was one of the most harrowing experiences in Ruby's life, the fact that miss Nikos' eyes and kind smile were the same as her daughter's only making it all the more heartbreaking. The girl had feared that the woman would resent her for failing to save Pyrrha, but soon she was proven wrong beyond any doubt, as miss Nikos pulled her into a warm embrace. Ruby was in a daze, unable to fully process what was happening; looking back at it later on, she would realize that she didn't even catch the woman's name. In fact, she would barely remember anything of what she and her friends talked about with Pyrrha's mother; the whole encounter was a blur, and most of the things that remained in her memory were the tone of the woman's voice, the look in her eyes and on her face, or her sad smiles. Still, there was one sentence that stayed with Ruby: "I'm sure you all did what you could... and after Beacon fell, you certainly have done much more than my little girl could have ever asked for."

Before long, the woman bode them farewell, not wanting to take too much of their time; in the end, she seemed to be happy that she had an opportunity to get to know the friends Pyrrha told her so much about. After she had left, the group headed towards the marquee housing a small banquet for the guests, where they met – among many other more or less familiar faces - their friends from teams SSSN and CFVY, who were apparently awaiting their arrival.

As the rest of the group was taking their seats, Yang and Blake aided Velvet with pouring everyone a bit of alcohol that someone – probably Coco – had brought. Once they were done and all of them were sitting by the table, Ren stood up and raised his glass. "To those who are no longer with us."

This toast echoed among the group as most of them repeated after Ren. Ruby was among the few who remained silent, even though she did open her mouth - the words simply got stuck in her throat, too painful for her to utter them aloud. So, instead of speaking, the silver-eyed girl lifted the hand with her drink before bringing it to her lips and taking a sip, the burning of alcohol doing nothing to soothe her heartache.

Pretty soon the typical sound of casual chatter could be heard by the group's table, as teams RWBY, JNPR, SSSN and CFVY began catching up. "So... seeing that everything is over now, what do you guys plan to do? Take it easy for the next few months, then return to the school?" Velvet asked at one point, directing her question at Ruby.

The girl looked at the Faunus, mustering a weak smile. "Yup. What about you? Back to Beacon for your final year?"

Velvet scratched her cheek awkwardly, her cute rabbit ears drooping a bit. "We, uh... yeah. It won't be our final year, though, because we didn't get to take the exams before the situation in Haven went to hell."

"And, seeing that I'm a _tiny_ bit out of shape," Coco chimed in, sitting in a wheelchair, "our team probably wouldn't be able to pass the exams even if Ozpin allowed us to take them. No need to ruin our spotless record, so we're just gonna chill for the next few months. Yatsu is going to see his family, and Fox will be tagging along. Velvet wants to stay in Vale, at least for now. As for myself... well, it's not like I was planning to go on a hike anytime soon, anyway." Despite turning her own situation into a jest, there was some underlying bitterness hiding beneath her self-deprecating jokes.

Ruby noticed this, giving the young woman a concerned look. "How are you feeling, Coco?"

"Quite useless. Velv helps a lot, though. She's a sweetheart." The humorless smirk that initially danced on Coco's lips turned into a grateful smile when she glanced at Velvet. The other girl, in turn, bashfully averted her eyes after hearing this compliment, unwittingly putting a lock of her long, silky hair behind one of her human ears. "Still, no matter how salty I might be, I _am_ getting better. It might not seem like much, but believe me when I say that this," Coco rolled her wheelchair further away from the table, then, with some difficulty, lifted one of her legs a bit for everyone to see, "is a big improvement over not being able to move my legs _at all_. That, and the fact that I no longer have to wear those hospital clothes. Gotta find the silver lining."

Yang chuckled at that, but her expression pretty soon shifted into a more serious one. "Have you started your physio already?"

"Yeah. My therapist says I should be able to walk on my own pretty soon, and I sure hope she's right. I hate seeing my high heels getting dusty." With that, apparently no longer interested in talking about her own predicament, Coco turned her eyes to look at Neptune, corner of her mouth twitching a bit. "Anyways, what about you, Sleeping Beauty? Still getting used to your shiny, artificial lung?"

Neptune glared at Coco after hearing this nickname, but it had literally no adverse effect on the smug grin present on the girl's face. Seeing that he was only making the matter worse, he gave up. "Not my fault the doctors decided it was better to keep me comatose until I got better," he muttered with resignation.

"Guess they had to shut you up somehow," Sun deadpanned.

Neptune punched his friend in the arm, but, nonetheless, he snickered along. "In any case, yeah. It's not, I dunno, uncomfortable or anything, just... kinda weird. Doctors asked me not to leave Vale for the next two-three months so they can check up on me, so I guess I'll have to stay at my aunt's place. Here's hoping she won't mind two strays."

Blake raised a single eyebrow. "Two?"

"Scarlett and Sage are going home, but Sun is staying in Vale. Fighting with my new lung probably will take some getting used to, and he offered to help me with that."

"And what do you plan to do after the break? Go back to Haven?" Jaune questioned.

All four members of team SSSN glanced at each other. "Actually, we're not sure," Scarlett replied eventually.

Yang knitted her eyebrows. "You mean?"

Sun was the one to answer her. "Well, nothing is really decided yet, but we are considering transferring to Beacon. It would be easier to hang out with our friends that way, y'see," he said, grinning. After a somewhat enthusiastic response of the rest of the group, he turned towards Jaune, Ren and Nora. "What about the three of you?"

"Jaune's mom invited us to stay in their house," Nora said in her typical, cheerful manner, her arm thrown around Ren's shoulder. "His sisters are fun to be around, and it's not like we have anywhere else to go, so we agreed."

Jaune nodded. "Yeah. As for the school, we'll return to Beacon once the break is over..." He paused for a moment, grimacing. "But there's still the issue of, well, us being one person short from the full team." His words were met with uneasy silence, their implication slowly sinking in.

"Do they want to assign you a new teammate?" Velvet asked timidly after a few moments, voicing what everyone had thought.

"Yes, although we won't be forced to accept anyone should we not want to." Ren sighed. "Apparently Ozpin plans to assemble a list of potential candidates to show us later on."

No one questioned the three of them what they thought of the prospect of having a new teammate, seeing no reason to; even if the answer wasn't written all over the trio's faces, everyone more or less knew how Jaune, Nora and Ren felt – although there were some logical merits, it did not change the fact that it was as if they were asked to replace something that replaced could be not.

* * *

As time passed, people began changing their seats, walking from one group of familiar faces to the other, chatting and exchanging stories. Weiss, not really in the mood for socializing, was among the few who did not leave their place by the table, even though both Ruby and Yang tried to convince her to tag along as they went to say hello to team FNKY. Blake remained nearby, having moved maybe a feet or two away from the heiress, and was talking with Coco and Velvet; although the heiress could easily join their conversation, she chose not to, and the other girls – after a few failed attempts to get her involved – let her brood in peace, at least for the time being.

Weiss did not understand why, but for some reason she felt hollow and worthless in her own eyes, as if she was not good enough, as if she had failed to win the first place when it actually mattered to her. Lost in thought, she paid virtually no mind to anything that surrounded her; only after someone tapped her on the shoulder did she snap out of her reverie.

Turning around and recognizing the person that was pestering her, Weiss scowled. "Yes, Jaune?"

The boy smiled awkwardly, taking notice of the chilly tone he was greeted with. "Hey, Weiss... Would you mind going for a walk? There's something I want to talk with you about."

For a few moments, the heiress entertained the thought of telling Jaune to leave her alone in some rude, snappy manner, but in the end she did no such thing, knowing that her unreasonable hostility was pretty much baseless. Casting a single glance at her partner before returning her attention to Jaune, she let out a weary sigh, releasing some of her tension. "I suppose not..." Hoping that a stroll would help her clear her mind, she stood up from her seat and gestured with her hand for Jaune to take lead. "After you."

Ren, who was sitting nearby, looked at his leader knowingly and placed one of his hands at the table, silently asking Jaune whether or not he should go with them, then, seeing the blonde lad shake his head slightly, he settled down, simply watching as Jaune and Weiss went outside.

The two of them walked for a ways before Jaune eventually spoke up, sensing that the silence between them was starting to feel awkward. "So, uh... how are your wounds?"

Although Weiss, in her current state, would have preferred it if the boy simply got straight to the point instead of attempting small talk, she figured there was no harm in humouring him this once. "Surprisingly well, all things considered; I even had my stitches removed two days ago." She looked down and brought her left hand to her stomach, her fingers running along the wound that was hidden under a few layers of clothing. "Most of the time I can just ignore the pain without much of an issue, at least as long as I'm careful not to stretch too much."

"That's good to hear." Jaune fell silent for a while, as if he wondered how to proceed. "Uh, about your team's last visit to the headmaster's office... was it about what I think it was?"

"Joining?" Weiss suggested, getting a nod in response. "Yes."

The man let out a short, mirthless laugh. "Ozpin really can't give you guys a break, huh?" Not expecting an answer, he turned his eyes away from the heiress and let his gaze fall onto the pavement, as if staring at something only he could see. "He wanted us to show up at that meeting, too, but we told him we needed some time."

Weiss laughed softly. "True, it might've been better if he waited for a more appropriate time, instead of asking us when our wounds were still fresh – both figuratively and literally." She applied some pressure to her abdomen with the palm of her hand, wincing a bit when her nerves gave her the exact response she expected. "But then again, is there _ever_ an appropriate time to ask someone if they are willing to dedicate their life to protection of humanity from a powerful enemy that can't even be defeated?"

Not waiting for a response, Weiss continued. "It's not like we were given no time to make up our mind, either. Even if Ozpin didn't touch on the matter in advance, we all already knew how we felt about the Circle; after all, we've been working with them for well over a year. We were members in all but the name – all we had to do was to say whether we were willing to continue; a mere formality, I suppose, but a formality that probably should not wait too long nonetheless. Now we at least know where we stand."

"And what did you answer?"

"We all agreed, though not before Ruby called him out on not being straight with us." A soft smile was present on Weiss' lips when she mentioned her partner, but it did not stay there for long, quickly disappearing. "If there is one thing I'm certain of, it is that I don't want anyone else to go through the same hell we just did. If there is a way not to let the things go as far as they did the last time, then the least I can do is try. As for Ruby, Blake and Yang... I think they feel the same way."

Weiss watched Jaune for a while, waiting for him to speak. When he did not, she assumed that they had already discussed everything that was there to discuss and began walking away, slowly retreating in the same direction they came from. "Well, if that's all you wished to discuss, then I'll excuse myself."

As it soon turned out, she was mistaken, and Jaune, hoping to stop her, spoke up the very moment she started backing away. "It's not. Not entirely, at least. I wanted to talk with you about Ruby."

That certainly gained him Weiss' attention, making her freeze in place almost instantly. "Yes?" she asked, her voice icy cold, giving the man a pointy glare.

"It's just... I'm glad that you are going to spend the break with her. She needs you, Weiss."

Whatever traces of hostility Jaune had seen in Weiss' eyes disappeared almost completely, leaving only sadness. She seemed smaller, somehow, smiling wryly as she walked closer to Jaune and rested her elbows atop a small balustrade.

"For once I believe that you are actually overestimating me; if anything, it's the other way around – I'm the one who needs her." She truly meant what she said, and Ruby's support and positive impact the Dolt had on her life were not the only things she had in mind. She felt _physically_ better when the other girl was around – more awake, more _alive_ ; even her wounds seemed to hurt less, something she observed in the past few days. "Sure, I might be her partner and friend, but even if I was not around, she still has Yang and Blake - or you and your team - to take care of her. You're all just as important to her as I am... if not more." Uttering that aloud was simply painful, though Weiss was not quite sure why; after all, despite all of her pride, most of the time being somebody's equal didn't bother her _that_ much. She knew that Ruby cared for her, and it made her glad; still, the thought that there were others that were just as close to her partner caused her an unreasonable amount of grief. "She'd be alright," she muttered quietly, hanging her head, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jaune leaned against the balustrade, chuckling under his breath as he looked at the heiress. "It seems to me that you don't really realize just how important you are to her."

"What makes you think so?" the white-haired girl questioned; despite the skeptically raised eyebrow and doubt in the tone she spoke, something stirred deep down inside of her after hearing these words, making her pulse quicken. "I get that she was worried about me when I almost got killed, but what of it? She's the best partner I could've ever asked for, even if it took me a while to recognize that fact – of course she would be worried. But that's Ruby for you – even if you were the one who was wounded in my place, she would be just as distressed."

Jaune snorted at that, not taking Weiss' 'even if' personally. "Worried? Hah." He shook his head incredulously. "She was worried sick when Yang lost her arm, or when we had no idea whether Qrow would survive after Tyrian had poisoned him. When Penny and Pyrrha died... she was devastated. Still, even though she saw Cinder killing Pyrrha with her own eyes, it did not make her want to tear that damned woman into shreds, despite the fact it would be well-deserved. But after you got wounded and her initial shock had passed... she was _out_ _for blood,_ " he said, putting a strong emphasis on the last three words. He stared the heiress in the eye, making sure that this information sunk in, then raised his finger an pointed it at Weiss. "And no matter what you tell me, I don't think she'd wipe the floor with a bloody Goliath if I were the one who almost got killed, not you."

Weiss blinked a few times, slightly taken aback. "...a figure of speech, I assume?"

The blonde snickered at the sight of the look on the heiress' face. "Actually, no; she rammed scythe-first right into the poor bastard's side, full Semblance speed, and toppled it over, making it crush a bunch of smaller Grimm in the process. That girl is scary when she's pissed off." Slowly, his grin dissipated, expression darkening as his gaze fell to the ground. "It's not the part that terrified me, though..."

He stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking how to properly explain what was on his mind; in the meanwhile, Weiss waited patiently, not rushing him to speak despite the fact that his last remark left her a bit concerned.

"Ruby is the strongest person I know. No matter how far south the things had gone, she always had the strength to keep moving forwards... though every once in a while you could see through the cracks just how hard it was for her. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed it." He glanced at Weiss, who simply bobbed her head. She was not sure where he was going with this roundabout explanation, but opted not to comment on it just yet. "There was this one situation after her uncle got wounded by Tyrian. We were searching for help, but it was not going all too well... Truth be told, we had no idea what to do, and Qrow was getting worse. When we took a moment to rest and look around, she started apologising to me, saying that she shouldn't have dragged us along. I appreciated the sentiment... but she was factually wrong."

He paused briefly, taking a deep breath before proceeding further. "Like us, she had lost Pyrrha. She had also lost Penny. She had lost her team and, in a sense, even her sister. Still, despite all of that, she decided not to lose hope, to believe that she could make a difference in a world gone mad. She didn't drag us along; she gave us the strength to follow. Even in the moments of weakness, when things looked especially grim, she was always able to quickly pull herself together for our sake." Weiss' whole body tensed anxiously when Jaune turned his face towards the heiress, as if seeing the look in his eyes she finally realized just how serious he had been when he said he was worried. "But, when I saw her return to our base, cradling you in her arms... I thought she had finally snapped."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Ha! I bet you didn't expect to see me again so soon, were ya?!

Well, to be perfectly honest, me neither. A pleasant surprise for both parties, I hope. Either way, it seems that listening to "Cold" from RWBY's soundtrack while I was writing the first half of this chapter was not the worst idea I've ever had.

Had fun writing this one, I'll tell you that much. A pleasant change of pace after the two last chapters. I sure hope that you enjoyed reading this update as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I'm not sure whether or not I managed to deliver the feels, so I definitely would be happy to know what you think about this chapter. Please, consider dropping a review should you have some time to spare, and, even if you don't, thanks for reading!

 **ComonDayCritic:** As I mentioned in my PM to you, I also had some mixed feeling about that aspect. I tried to address this issue in this chapter; now all that's left for me to do is to hope that I did not screw up.

Also, a big thank you to all those who wrote a review after the previous chapter!

Oh, right, I almost forgot: I have set up a Discord server. Should anyone be interested, here's the important part of the invite link: (slash) NyfaacQ

Not much to see there right now, but I'll be working on it. Feel free to drop in, whether you want to check on the progress on the next chapter, chat with me about the story, or to simply talk my ear off! c:


	11. Save her

_**Chapter X: Save her**_

Jaune, Ren and Nora were sitting together in the common room of their base, lazying around as they waited for Qrow and team RWBY to return from their recon mission. Surprisingly, Raven was also around; occupying the whole couch she had laid on, she was killing the time with reading something on her Scroll. At one point, the aforementioned device buzzed in her hand, causing the three youngsters present in the room to look at the woman with a certain degree of unease, worried that this sound was heralding some bad news.

Forced to take a break from her read, Raven groaned and accepted the call. "Yes?" the Huntress asked coolly, then recoiled almost immediately as someone's voice blasted right into her ear. As she continued to listen to said voice – all the while keeping her Scroll at a safe distance from her eardrums – the deathly cold glare directed at the device slowly dissipated, changing into a frown, which in turn alarmed Jaune and Ren that something very bad had indeed happened.

Raven stood up and grabbed her mask from the nearby table, then ended the call and threw her Scroll onto the couch, swearing under her breath.

"Go get the doctors. Schnee got wounded," she commanded, putting on her helmet. Then, not waiting for anyone's response, the woman equipped her weapon and swung her sword out of its scabbard, opening a portal and taking a defensive stance in front of it, ready to slice any Grimm that would come through. " _Move_ , whelp!" she growled, seeing that Jaune was still standing as he stood, the news having not sunk in just yet.

That was enough to snap him out of his confused state; not wasting any more time, Jaune ordered Ren and Nora to stay with Raven and back her up, while he himself took off running in the direction of the medical bay. The doctors didn't need much convincing to follow after him, and before long he was already on his way back, leading the medics to the common room.

Halfway there, they were met by the rest of the group, with Ruby marching in front, cradling Weiss in her arms as she carried the white-haired girl bridal-style. The sight gave Jaune a pause, the cold fingers of fear gripping him by his throat; even though he had never seen the proud heiress looking as frail and defenseless as in that very moment, it's seeing the slightly crazed look on Ruby's face that truly terrified him – the brunette looked simply terrible, as if she had been pushed beyond her limits and was about to break at any given moment. Once she ran the last few meters that remained between her and the medics and carefully laid the unconscious heiress on the mobile bed the doctors brought with them, one could see the bloody stains that coloured the sleeves and the lower front of Ruby's once-beige shirt, which, in conjunction with the fact that she was even paler than usual, made her look like a ghost of her former self.

"When did it happen?" one of the physicians questioned Ruby.

Yang, painfully aware that the girl was quite unable to reply, answered in her sister's stead. "Around three minutes ago. We were out of the ship transmitter's range, so we had to run for a ways before we could call for evac."

While her teammates were answering the doctors' questions to the best of their ability, Ruby simply tagged along, not leaving Weiss' side for a single moment. Soon, their procession reached the door to the restricted area of the medical bay; using a nearby keypad to open the entrance, the medics went inside, taking the bed with Weiss lying on it along with them.

Ruby wanted to follow after her partner, but one of the doctors – Viena Grapes, a Huntress from the Atlesian branch of the Circle – blocked her way. "We can't let you in, miss Rose."

The girl clenched her hands, her stupor suddenly replaced by anger flaring in her eyes. "What? She's my partner! I should be with her!" She tried to push past the woman standing in her way, but the doctor did not relent, forcefully keeping Ruby at arm's length.

The girl snarled at her, but miss Grapes didn't even flinch, simply ignoring it and staring Ruby right in the eye. "I know your partner is very important to you, but that's all the more reason why I can't allow your presence to potentially endanger miss Schnee's life." The brunette, who was heartbeats away from punching the woman, lowered her fists, murder suddenly disappearing from her gaze. "Do you understand that?"

In that moment something cracked within Ruby, as if she lost that last thing that allowed her to stand upright when the world was crushing down on her. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she finally gave up, her head hung low, her shoulders slumping. Looking completely, utterly defeated she began to tremble, as if the anger left her body with almost all of her remaining strength. "Save her. P-please, sa-ave her," she begged quietly, her voice weak and shaky.

The blue-haired Huntress relaxed her stance a bit, giving the girl a sympathetic look. "We'll try our best," with that promise, the doctor stepped through the doorway and hurried to join her colleagues.

 _ **WHAM.**_ A moment after the woman disappeared behind the closed door, Ruby slammed her fist against the wall, screaming at the top of her lungs. "GOD DAMN IT!"

Wailing like a wounded animal, she dropped to her knees, as if this final outburst had used up all the energy she had left. She became a quivering, crying mess kneeling on the floor, but she no longer cared that the others could see her like that; in that very moment the only thing she gave a damn about was her partner's life, and the knowledge that Weiss might not survive the day only made it seem as if her whole world was about to fall apart. She was scared out of her mind, and no longer had the strength to pretend otherwise.

While everyone else was just staring at her, distressed, not knowing how to react to this perfect picture of pain and misery the usually unbroken girl was reduced to, Ren wasted no time and promptly walked to Ruby's side, touching her right shoulder.

Drained of all colour, her body soon ceased to tremble, her sobs becoming less and less hysterical as seconds passed, her wails less intense, only to disappear completely before long. After a few moments, Ruby covered Ren's hand with her own, bloodied one, leaving crimson fingerprints on his skin as she gave him a grateful squeeze. "Thanks, Ren," she murmured. Her breathing was still a bit laboured and hitched, but it appeared that Ren's Semblance managed to calm her down, at least to some degree.

"The Grimm will soon crawl all around this place," Qrow reminded, drawing everyone's attention away from Ruby. "We should prepare to fend 'em off."

"Can't we just start the engines and fly away, then land someplace else?"

"Not without risking being attacked in the air while the Ice Queen is still being patched up," the Huntsman replied to Jaune's question, then glanced at his younger niece, who was still kneeling on the floor, tended to by Ren. "Not the best idea, if you ask me."

Nora popped her knuckles eagerly with an uncharacteristically serious, vindictive gleam in her eye. "Field battle it is, then."

Yang, however, did not seem to be sold on the idea. "And then what? Keep killing the bastards until they stop coming?" Arms crossed, she gave her uncle a disagreeing look. "That didn't work all too well the last time we tried it, Qrow."

Before the Huntsman could respond to this objection, Ruby's voice, a bit hoarse from crying, did that in his stead, catching everyone off their guard. "This time we'll have fire support from the ship. The guns should be able to keep the sky clear for us, and to thin the ranks of the Grimm before they reach our position." Having already gotten up from her knees, the girl started to slowly walk towards the rest of the group, smudges of crimson smeared below her eyes like a warpaint made of blood, created when she tried to dry off her tears. Colour had been returned to her features as Ren was no longer keeping her under the effect of his Semblance; still, he remained at the ready, following a few steps behind Ruby, prepared to use his ability once again if the need arose.

"What she said, essentially," Qrow agreed, gesturing with his head towards his niece. He glanced at Raven, quirking one of his eyebrows, as if asking her a question; when the woman rolled her eyes and gave him a stiff nod in response, he continued. "That, and the fact that eight is more than five."

"Seven," Ruby corrected him. "Blake is low on Aura; she's staying inside."

To say that the Faunus in question didn't like her leader's call would be a most severe understatement. "What?! No! I can still fight, Ruby!"

Having none of that, the silver-eyed girl crossed the distance between her and Blake in a heartbeat, grabbing the outraged brunette's head with both of her hands and pulling it so close that their noses almost touched. "Blake, look at me," she uttered, looking uncharacteristically fragile and desperate, as if she was about to crumble if pushed just a little bit further. "Weiss almost got killed today. I can't risk you getting hurt too, understood? _I can't._ "

At first Blake was tempted to argue back, but, seeing the state Ruby was in, she relented, her scowl softening into a far more compassionate expression. "Understood."

A tired sigh made its way past Ruby's lips and the girl let go of her friend's head, burying her face in Blake's shoulder. The other, not really knowing what else to do, wordlessly wrapped her arms around her leader.

"It's not like you can't help us from inside," Qrow said, causing Blake's cat ears to snap to attention. "Just go and grab one of the mounted guns on the upper deck. The more firepower we have, the better."

It was quite easy to tell that it was not what Blake had hoped for, but, nonetheless, the brunette did exactly what the Huntsman advised. In the meanwhile, the rest of the group started preparing for the fight – restocking on ammo, examining their weapons, warming up and so on. While they were getting ready for combat, the usually silent ship was put on high alert, echoing with excited voices, shouted orders and the sound of crew members running to their battle stations; among all of this ruckus, Oscar showed up in the armoury, declaring that he'd help the group out in the field. No one argued against his participation, and he was welcome to join their party of seven.

While stretching before combat, Jaune observed Ruby as she was replenishing her supply of ammunition. To his surprise, the girl had been able to collect herself and fully focus on the task at hand, each of her movements quick, deft, and deliberate, completely devoid of hesitation. Once she was done with ammo – having picked mostly Gravity and highly exsplosive Fire Dust rounds – she unfolded Crescent Rose into its full form and took a few moments to check if everything was in order. In the meantime, Jaune looked at the rest of the group, watching as they were finishing their own preparations.

"Jaune?" The man, hearing his name, turned once again in Ruby's direction only to be faced with the girl's back. "The Grimm are drawn to negative emotions, right?"

Jaune blinked, a bit taken aback. It didn't appear that it was a rhetorical question, as the girl seemed to await his response, but he just couldn't understand why Ruby would ask him about that matter, as he was absolutely sure the girl knew the answer. "Uh... yeah?"

"Good," she said, her voice so eerily quiet and calm that it gave the blonde Huntsman the chills. A loud clank could be heard as she pulled the bolt handle of Crescent Rose with quite a bit more force and purpose than usual, loading a bullet into the barrel chamber of her HCSS. When she turned her head to face Jaune, the boy saw that her irises burned with a brilliant, white flame, emitting thin wisps of silvery smoke. She looked almost otherwordly, her glowing eyes accentuated with blood that stood in stark contrast with her pale complexion – a wraithlike spirit of vengeance, wielding the scythe of Death itself in her blood-soaked hands. "Let them fucking come."

* * *

While dust was still settling on the battlefield, the group of seven Huntsmen and Huntresses gathered together in front of their airship, catching their breaths and looking around, examining the work of their hands. Ruby did not join them, having not moved anywhere ever since the guns fell silent, signaling the end of the fight; with the hood of her cloak put up, she simply sat on the ground right where she stood: in the middle of a field littered with craters and pillars of thick, black smoke that marked the places where some more powerful Grimm were felled. She was so different than she was a mere minute ago - the fury that had been driving her onwards abandoned her, leaving her weak, pitiful and utterly lost, making her hug her own knees in search for some semblance of comfort.

"Well... that was a bit excessive," Ren stated with a small frown on his forehead, his eyes fixed on Ruby. In the meanwhile, the forcefield that had been surrounding their ship during the battle shimmered briefly and disappeared, revealing that Blake was already outside, heading their way.

"Yeah..." Jaune agreed with his teammate wholeheartedly, also turning his gaze towards the girl sitting on the ground a few dozen yards away from the rest of the group. It was worrying, seeing Ruby like that – both her fury and her dread were completely foreign, something he had never seen in her before, and both of these things scared him. "Made it easier for us to take that Goliath down, though."

"And it sure earned her some badass points," Nora added.

Yang, however, seemed to not share the hyper redhead's enthusiasm. "Excessive? _Excessive_?!" she repeated after Ren, practically fuming, then furiously pointed her finger at her younger sister and started screaming. "That _idiot_ could've gotten herself killed! First she tells Blake to sit on her ass instead of fighting, then she pulls shit like _that_? Fuckin' hypocrite!"

Qrow let out a short laugh. "Like you're the one to talk about anger management issues, Firecracker." Nonetheless, he still had to give the credit when it was due; Yang was right – Ruby had been plain reckless during the fight when it came down to her personal safety, even if one let the incident with ramming that Goliath slip. "You do have a point, though..."

Yang snorted, her eyes red, giving her uncle a 'you think?' kind of look accompanied by a sardonic smile; turning away from the man, she began marching in Ruby's direction, intent on giving the brat an earful, but was quickly stopped by Blake, who caught up with her and grabbed the brawler's wrist.

Not deterred by the angry glare she was given, the Faunus did not let go of her partner's hand. "I think you should give Ruby some time, Yang."

After a brief moment, Yang's irises regained their usual, lilac hue and the blonde relaxed a bit, taking a deep breath. She knew that Blake was right, and it really was not the best time to yell at Ruby - _even if_ the girl almost gave her a heart attack.

"Yeah... listen to your girlfriend, kiddo," Qrow said, then turned to look at the rest of their group and pointed with his head in the direction of their ship. "Head back inside. Ren and I will keep an eye on Ruby."

If Ren did mind the fact that Qrow hadn't asked about his opinion before 'volunteering' him to stay, he didn't let it show. Not saying a word, he simply sat on the ground and pressed his hand to the earth; a ways further away, the redness of Ruby's cloak lost some of its usual intensity, her emotions not dulled, simply hidden to not attract more Grimm.

And so, people slowly began retreating back to the ship, some – like Yang – more reluctantly than others. Raven went away only after everyone else was already inside, watching Ruby for a while with a complex, almost wistful look on her face before she, too, disappeared within the base, leaving Ren and Qrow alone as they looked after the silver-eyed girl.

* * *

Blake, Yang and the two members of team JNR were waiting in the mess hall for about quarter of an hour before they were joined by the trio that stayed outside. Ruby was the last one to enter the room, looking emotionally spent and a bit shell-shocked, with a blank expression on her face – a far cry from her usual, bright self. In fact, it seemed that she didn't even acknowledge the presence of the rest of the group until the moment when Blake called her name, telling her that she probably should clean herself up. The girl, prompted by her teammate's remark, looked down at her hands and stared at them for a while, as if she just now remembered they were covered in her partner's blood. Seeing that Ruby began to tremble a bit, Yang, forgetting all about her temptation to scold her sibling, immediately got up from her seat and rushed towards her younger sister, enveloping the ravenette in a loving hug.

Before long, there were only five people remaining in the room – Raven and Oscar had not been around to begin with, having walked off to Dust knows where once the battle had ended, and Yang, not wanting to leave the girl alone, had gone with Ruby to the bathroom. Ren began preparing dinner, and for a long while the sounds of him moving around the kitchen were virtually the only thing to be heard in the canteen; eventually, Jaune, deciding to seize the opportunity that Ruby was not around, voiced the question that was on his mind for a while now, also hoping to get rid of the tense silence that had descended upon the room.

"So... how did that happen?"

Blake complied, if a bit grudgingly, summarizing the whole story for Jaune, Nora and Ren. She told them how Qrow, she, and her team had accomplished most of the objectives of their recon mission without much of an issue, and how it wasn't until after they had almost reached the second-to-last checkpoint when things started to go awry. It all began with a pack of smaller Grimm – a bit more numerous than the ones they had encountered on their way there, but not enough to pose any problem. Pretty soon, however, the reinforcements came, and while the situation still seemed fairly feasible at first, before long their party of five found themselves in a trap, surrounded by all kinds of Grimm. Nonetheless, they collectively decided to stay and fight, not willing to abandon their mission just yet.

As it turned out, they had vastly underestimated their enemy's numbers, but while the fight lasted for far longer than they had expected, they somehow were able to stand their ground – mostly thanks to Weiss, who was using her glyphs to the best of her ability in order to make sure the group didn't get overwhelmed by the advancing Creatures of Grimm. And then, when the things finally started to look up a bit and it seemed the fight would soon be over... everything went straight to hell.

"The rest of the story you already know," the girl wrapped up, glancing at Nora and Jaune, who were sitting with her by the table.

After a few moments of silence that followed Blake's tale, Nora spoke up. "A Beowolf, you say?" The girl scratched her cheek thoughtfully, pondering for a while. "Well, that's... pretty underwhelming," she blurted out eventually. It didn't seem that there was any malicious intent behind her words - it was as if she simply had imagined that if Weiss was to go down, she'd do so with more of a bang. Probably a literal one, of a massive Dust explosion.

The redhead's eyes widened slightly once she untimely realized that she had just said something rather insensitive; covering her mouth with her hands, the girl shrunk a bit under the weight of all the disapproving glares she received - even Ren glanced up from his frying pan and gave her a stern look. Jaune facepalmed, simply glad that the silver-eyed girl was not around to hear this remark, as such a scenario would be likely to break either Ruby's heart or Nora's bones.

"Might be," Qrow conceded dryly, leaning his back against a kitchen island, a fresh drink in his hand, "but there's a good chance that she'd be _dead_ if it was anything much sturdier, as none of us would be able to get rid of it before it finished the job. And, if you ask me, in this case a Huntress that is alive beats the one that went down in the 'blaze of glory'." Seeing that Nora did understand what he was getting at, he unknitted his eyebrows, his gaze softening a bit. "Don't be too hard on the Princess; even the best and most experienced of us make mistakes. Besides, _all_ Grimm, even the seemingly weak ones, can be deadly in big enough numbers, especially so when you are tired or out of resources. It was a long fight, and she used most of her Aura to make sure that we didn't get overrun." He looked down and inhaled deeply, staring contemplatively at the contents of his glass. "Almost all of it, seeing how that Beringel practically zero'd her with a single punch."

"Long story short, she got hurt just because she was doing her best to keep the rest of us alive," Blake summed up, then hunched a bit, resting her elbows on her knees. "If anyone is to blame, then it's us – we should've done a better job at protecting our caster. Hell, I could've killed that Beowolf before it attacked Weiss, it ran right past me... I just thought she'd handle it. But Weiss didn't even notice it until it was aleady too late." She sighed and started rubbing her face with one of her hands. "She must've hit her head. There's no way that Grimm would get her otherwise."

"As I've said, we all make mistakes. It's not like I couldn't call retreat before the things got really ugly, recon be damned," Qrow said, gesturing with his hand to accentuate his statement. Pushing himself away from the counter, he started walking towards the rest of the group. "In any case, pointing fingers at each other won't lead us anywhere, and it certainly won't cause Weiss to get better any quicker. She's alive, and let's leave it at that."

They tried to talk about something else after that, but the conversation that followed was awkward at best and plain non-existent at worst - most of the time they were simply sitting in silence, hoping that someone else would try to rekindle their discussion, just so it could provide them with some temporary distraction before dying out once again. At some point, Qrow attempted to lighten the mood by telling the rest of the group a few stories about some of the most memorable screw-ups of his old team, but in the end it did not help much, only reminding everyone of the events that had transpired earlier that day. Blake tried reading, to no avail – even her favourite past time was not able to occupy her attention for long, as the mental image of her friend and teammate lying on the operating table would keep on reappearing in her mind, not allowing her to focus on anything. It was more or less like that for everyone: even though they all desperately wanted to find something that would make the wait for the news slightly more bearable, nothing would prove effective.

If the tension was bad before, it got even worse once Ruby and Yang returned from the bathroom. Crossing the doorstep, the blonde looked completely exhausted, seemingly equally close to tears as she was close to punching something out of the sheer frustration, angry at her own powerlessness in the face of the current situation. Ruby, on the other hand... she was just _not there_ , lost somewhere deep in the recesses of her own mind. Her hands and cheeks were no longer painted with blood – although still a bit red after the intense scrubbing – and she wore a fresh change of clothes, but that was pretty much the only improvement about her state; her eyes were bloodshot and a bit puffy, as if she was crying just a moment ago, and her expression remained completely blank. Having plopped on a nearby couch, with her knees kept close to her chest, she was present among the others in body, but not in spirit; addressed directly, the girl would give a response of a few words, only to shut herself off once again almost immediately. There was one upside to her detachment, if one could call that an upside – she was the only person in the room that appeared not to be bothered in the slightest by the anxiety that permeated the air, as if not even noticing it.

While the dinner was a much welcome distraction once it arrived, it quickly became apparent that Yang and Blake did not have much of an appetite, both of them barely touching any of their food; Ruby was even worse – she didn't do as much as budge from her spot on the sofa. Eventually, Yang – who had been getting progressively more and more restless as time passed, to the point where her eyes began flaring red every now and then – stood up and headed towards the exit, unable to bear this atmosphere for much longer. She stopped for a brief moment by the doorframe and turned to face the rest of the group. "I need to vent. I'll be in the training room if someone needs me." She looked at her girlfriend and gestured with her head towards the red-clad girl sitting on the couch, silently asking Blake to keep an eye on Ruby. Once Blake responded her with a short nod, Yang cast one last, sad glance at her little sister and went on her way.

Time flew by uneventfully, bringing no change - minutes upon minutes of wait, drawing out into something that felt like an eternity. Once the dinner was over, no longer providing the group with an excuse to stay quiet, they once again tried talking... once again failing miserably. Relatively unchallenged, the ticking of the clock kept on reverberating in the mess hall as the six Huntsmen and Huntresses lingered in silence, powerless, unable to do anything – even _focus_ \- but await the news. Then, moments before Jaune could give in to his temptation to just start screaming, a short, blue-haired woman with dark complexion entered the room, causing everyone to snap to attention.

By the time anyone else could even get up from their seat, Ruby - who practically didn't move _at all_ ever since she had returned from the bathroom - was already standing right in front of doctor Grapes, a trail of blood-red rose petals swaying in the air between the couch and the door, marking her way. Suddenly filled with feverish energy, she grabbed the other woman by both arms and looked at the newcomer pleadingly. "What about Weiss?" the girl asked, pain, desperation and fear clearly visible in her eyes.

The doctor cast a sweeping glance across the faces of the people that were approaching her, then returned her attention to Ruby. "Miss Schnee is still unconscious, but stable, at least for the time being. Thankfully, the Beowolf missed all vital organs; still, the blood loss combined with fatigue and blunt force trauma certainly did not do the patient any favours. While our prognosis is relatively optimistic, I'm afraid we cannot make any promises just yet – in miss Schnee's current, weakened state potential complications might prove fatal."

Ruby's arms fell limply to her sides after she heard the last few words. Looking as if she was about to either faint or cry, her lips slightly parted, she just stared at the other woman, absolutely terrified by the prospect that was presented to her.

Not having anything else to offer the girl but her understanding and sympathy, Viena simply tried to be as gentle as possible. "We did all we could at the moment. Now all that's left to do is to wait and hope the patient gets better; the next twenty-four hours will be decisive."

Her silver eyes glistening with unshed tears, Ruby bit her lower lip and let her gaze fall down for a brief while, then, mustering what energy she had left, she looked up at the doctor and said: "Can I see her?" A heartfelt, pitiful plea spoken in a weak voice.

The woman sighed softly and nodded, gesturing with her hand for everyone to accompany her. No one refused the offer, following the doctor as she led them down the narrow corridors of their ship towards the medical bay, answering their questions as they walked; Ruby was marching in front, right next to the blue-haired woman, listening to every single word the doctor said.

At some point, Jaune began lagging behind. "I'll catch up with you later; someone has to go and tell Yang," he called, then parted ways with the rest of the group and headed towards the place he knew he would find the person he was looking for.

He heard the brawler well before entering the training room - Yang, even when she was being calm, was never one to be quiet, even less so when she was in the process of unloading her frustration on some innocent punching bag, throwing in angry shouts, grunts and curses between her bonecrushing blows.

Jaune just watched the show for a while before he eventually decided it was time to get Yang's attention. "Uh, Yang...?"

Although the blonde girl didn't turn to look at him, judging by the way her strikes became both stronger and even more frequent, it seemed that she was now aware of his presence; she rained her target with a flurry of punches interwoven with kicks, finishing the sequence with a blow so passionate Jaune was amazed that the chain attaching the punching bag to the floor did not snap in half. After delivering that last strike, the brawler exhaled loudly and opened the fist that was still glued to the bag, then leaned in and rested her forehead against the leathery surface of the object she had been venting on, breathing heavily.

The lad took it as his cue to speak. "Did it help?"

The young woman turned her head as if to reply, but then she hesitated and returned to her previous position, taking a while to reconsider her answer. "I don't even know anymore, to be honest. As much as it pisses me off, this time I can't just punch our problems in the face without only making them worse," she said eventually, a bit winded, then pushed herself away from the bag and began taking off a bandage wrapped around her left, organic hand, her gaze directed at Jaune. "Anyways, what's up? Got any news?"

"Yeah, the operation is over. The rest of the gang is already with Weiss in the medical wing."

Yang paused for a moment, her eyes widening, then power-walked out of the room, discarding her bandage along the way. "Is she awake?" she questioned Jaune once he caught up with her; seeing that the man just shook his head in response, the girl clenched her jaw, hastening her already fast pace even further.

Before long, the two of them reached the corridor where the entrance to the medical bay was located. As they came closer to their destination, they saw Oscar walking out of the infirmary, closing the door behind him; the moment he noticed Yang and Jaune, he gave them a weak smile, then, when they were passing by each other, he reasuringly patted the girl on her shoulder before carrying on. Once he was gone, Yang returned her attention to the entryway in front of her; placing her hand on the door handle, she took a deep breath, then proceeded to enter the room, hoping that she was emotionally prepared for what was she was about to see.

The rest of the group was already inside, gathered around the bed and talking in hushed voices. Ruby was sitting by the bedside, wrapped in Blake's side hug, holding Weiss' hand in her own and caressing it gently with her thumb. When Yang approached her teammates from behind, her sister turned to look at her, showing the blonde a face tormented with sadness and worry – the poor girl seemed as if she wanted to cry but couldn't, no longer having any tears left to be shed.

The source of Ruby's sorrow was lying in the bed in front of them, unconscious, the white mane set loose and sprawled across a pillow, framing a sickly pale face. It was worrying, seeing Weiss like that, connected to multiple machines meant to keep her alive, with her mouth and nose covered with a mask that helped her breathe. Still, as long as the heiress kept on fighting, they would also not lose their hope.

"She'll be alright," Yang spoke quietly after a long while of silence, her words meant to assure not only Ruby and others, but also her own self.

Ruby sighed softly, giving Weiss' hand a tender squeeze. "That's what I'm telling myself to keep going."

* * *

As hours passed, people started leaving the medical bay. Qrow was the first one to walk out, having some business to attend to, and was soon followed by whole JNR, as each one of them felt as if they were intruding on their friends' privacy with their presence in the room. Eventually, only Ruby, Blake and Yang remained by Weiss' side, keeping a silent watch over their wounded teammate, surrounded by white walls and quiet beeping of the machinery.

Unadvertedly, the time of the evening meal came and Jaune found himself once again marching down the corridors of their base, heading towards the infirmary in order to bring the trio that remained with Weiss back to the mess hall. After a relatively short walk, he reached his destination and walked inside. "Hi, guys. The food is ready."

Yang and Blake thanked him for the information and got up from their seats, their joints popping audibly as the two of them finally stretched their legs after hours of sitting. Pretty soon, the pair was ready to leave the room, but then, as they followed Jaune's gaze, they realized that their leader didn't even move on her spot, still hugging her knees as she remained perched atop her chair.

"Ruby?" Blake called, a bit concerned.

"I'm not really hungry," the girl replied flatly, not even turning her head to face the other brunette; whether she was lying or not, no one could tell.

A small frown marred Yang's forehead as she gave her younger sister a worried look. "You sure, sis?"

Ruby glanced at her sibling, nodding. "Yeah. I'll stay with Weiss."

Even though they believed their leader was being honest, neither Yang nor Blake liked the idea of leaving the girl alone in her current state. Still, after a brief while of wordless discussion, they gave up and decided to let her stay, seemingly coming to a conclusion that forcing Ruby to go would be even worse. And so, casting a last look at the young ravenette sitting on the chair, the two of them left the room, tagging along Jaune.

Once in the mess hall, they were greeted by Nora and Ren, who, apparently not surprised at all that Ruby didn't show up, promptly led the trio to their seats, then went to the kitchen. The two of them spent the following minute or so on finishing the preparations before they eventually joined the rest of the group by the table. For the most part, they ate in silence; only after everyone was done with their food and all the plates were already in the dishwasher, did they actually try to strike up a conversation, with a bit more success than the last time.

The subject of the silver-eyed girl was bound to come up at some point; as it turned out, Ren was the first one to bring it up. "How is Ruby holding up?"

The smirk that appeared on Yang's lips was completely devoid of humour, not lightening the dark look in her eyes in the slightest. "As well as you'd expect her to deal with the fact that her partner and best friend might die before the next day ends. Meaning she's a mess." Sighing wearily, the blonde Huntress rested her elbow on the table, supporting her forehead with her hand. "When we went to the bathroom, she threw up once she saw in a mirror just how much Weiss' blood she had on her, then didn't stop crying until she was pretty much done with the shower. And I couldn't do shit about it."

"She's been always taking bad things in her stride, staying strong for those around her. But now... I think she has finally reached her limit" Blake added sorrowfully, her animal ears drooping a bit.

"Yeah..." Yang groaned, then let her head fall onto the table with a soft thud. "Damn it."

The room fell quiet for a while, until Jaune spoke up, voicing the question that, judging by the looks on Ren's and Nora's faces, was on both of his teammates' minds. "And what about you two?"

The blonde Huntress glanced up at the man. "Honestly? I'm scared shitless. For Weiss. For us. I didn't like our odds even before today, but now..." Straightening her back a bit, she shook her head grimly, her gaze downcast. "Even if you ignore the situation we're in, Weiss is part of the family. It's... hard for us. Especially when Ruby is practically breaking apart at this point."

"Yeah... I've never seen her like that."

Yang nodded somberly. "Me neither. And that's the worst part." Sighing heavily, she turned her eyes in the direction the door, her thoughts flying towards the wounded heiress. "I just hope Weiss will be alright. For all of our sakes."

Blake placed a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder, mustering a soft smile when the blonde met her gaze. "She will. She has far too much pride to just die after being scratched by a mere Beowolf."

That got a short snort of laughter out of Yang, cheering her up a bit. "Sounds about right," she conceded, nuzzling up to her lover.

Before long, Blake and Yang excused themselves and left, heading back to the med bay. The moment they arrived in the corridor leading to the infirmary, however, they were met with a sight that made them stop dead in their tracks, both of them having a sense of growing unease - Ruby was outside the room, sitting on the floor right next to the entrance. Resting her chin on her knees, the girl stared numbly straight ahead, burning a hole in the opposite wall.

"What are you doing out here?" Yang questioned worriedly as she approached her sister. "Did something happen?"

A few seconds had passed before Ruby opened her mouth to reply, her gaze still directed at the same spot as before. "Weiss woke up for a moment. I called the doctors, and then they kicked me out and told me to wait outside." After saying that, she finally turned towards her teammates, her lower lip quivering slightly as she stared at them with a haunted look in her moist eyes. "She... I don't think she recognized m-me."

Blake kneeled by her crestfallen teammate, hoping to comfort the poor girl. "I think it's normal, Ruby. She must be simply disoriented because of the meds, and because of everything that has happened to her." She touched Ruby's arm reassuringly, but if one looked closely, they'd be able to tell that Blake, too, was scared by the news. "She'll be alright. We just need to give her some time."

The doctors allowed the girls inside about five minutes later; confronted with Blake's assumption, they affirmed that Weiss' confused state was indeed nothing alarming – merely a side effect that should be attributed to the employed meds. Having silenced some of Ruby's worries, the physicians promptly walked away, leaving the trio alone with their wounded teammate, who had once again fallen asleep before her friends re-entered the infirmary.

It was some time after eleven in the evening when a low growl resounded in the room, telling everyone that Ruby's stomach had been neglected for far too long. For a while the girl tried acting as if nothing had happened, for some reason ignoring the protests of her own body, but Yang wouldn't have any of it.

"You really should just go and eat something, Rubes," she said firmly, looking the girl in the eye. Ruby bit the inside of her cheek, fighting the temptation – it was quite clear that the hunger was beginning to get to her, but it seemed that she was still determined to stay. Nonetheless, the blonde did understand why her little sister was so unwilling to leave the room, and could use said knowledge to appeal to the girl's conscience. "Weiss needs you to stay healthy, Ru. You won't help her much if you faint or starve to death."

Hit in the weak spot, Ruby's resolve began to waver, but did not crumble completely; seeing that the girl still needed a small push, Blake threw in her two lien. "We'll stay with Weiss while you're gone. Promise."

Ruby considered their words for a moment, then, finding no good reason to object, sighed heavily, raising both of her hands in the air as a gesture of defeat. "Alright, alright. I'll go. Give me fifteen minutes." She stood up from her chair and made a few reluctant steps towars the exit; shooed away by her sister before she could change her mind, she threw a last glance in the direction of the bed and walked outside, disappearing behind the doorframe.

Yang and Blake didn't talk much while Ruby was gone, simply watching over the sleeping heiress. Nothing really changed about Weiss' state in the twenty minutes that followed; the expression on her face was about the only difference there was – her eyes moving under her closed eyelids, she seemed troubled, as if she was searching for something in her dreams but couldn't find it. Neither of her teammates thought much of it, and, eventually, her restlessness came to an end; around the same time, Blake's cat ears perked up, turning towards the opened door with interest.

Taking notice of her partner's reaction, Yang risked a guess. "Ruby is coming?" When Blake hummed affirmatively, the blonde got up from her seat and yawned, then proceeded to crack her neck. "Then I guess I'll get going now; it's getting late, and I seriously need a shower after all this shit. What about you?"

Her fingers intertwined behind her head, Blake stretched on the chair, arching her back. "Shower sounds nice, but... I think I'll stay here for a while longer."

Acknowledging her partner's decision with a small nod, Yang stepped closer to the bed and, smiling softly, looked at the white-haired girl lying fast asleep under the blanket.

"You've really showed them today... maybe even a little bit too much, all things considered. I still like your new moves, though; that gigantic sword made of flames was my favourite, I think – I mean, who would've thought our little Ice Princess could get so _fiery_ in combat, right?" The blonde chuckled under her breath at her own joke, imagining the reaction she'd get out of Weiss if the heiress was awake. She watched her sleeping teammate for a while, her smile slowly disappearing and giving way to melancholy, then caringly brushed away a stray lock of hair from the girl's forehead. "You did good, Weiss; have some rest, for now. Just remember that we all need you. That Ruby needs you."

Turning her gaze in the direction of the entrance, Yang finally noticed the girl that was standing at the threshold, leaning against the doorframe; the two of them looked at each other for a while, lilac eyes meeting ones of silver, before the blonde forced a lopsided smile and strolled towards Ruby, who, in turn, moved aside to let her pass through the door. As she was marching past her sister, Yang briefly grabbed the girl's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Good night, Ru," she said quietly and walked away, knowing all too well that the night would not be pleasant for any of them.

* * *

It was well past midnight when Jaune, passing by the medical bay on his way to the sleeproom, noticed that the door to the patients room was left slightly ajar. Taking a peek inside, he saw exactly what he thought he would see – Ruby was still within, keeping a lone watch over her wounded partner. She was sitting on a cushion placed on the floor by the bedside, resting her arms on the edge of Weiss' bed and using them as a pillow. While initially Jaune thought that the girl simply fell asleep while the lights were still turned on, after a few moments he observed as Ruby lifted her head a bit and reached for her Scroll, then, once she checked something on its screen, dropped the device back onto the blanket and brought her hand to her mouth, stiffling a long yawn.

Jaune pushed the door open and stepped inside. "You should get some rest, Ruby," he spoke. Seeing that the girl didn't even stir, he called her name once again. "Ruby?"

"I'm staying here for the night."

"I'm not sure if it's..." he started to argue, but then stopped and sighed in surrender, realizing that if he wanted Ruby to go to her bed, he'd probably have to make her. "Should I turn the light off?" he offered, resigned.

Ruby gave him a fleeting glance before her eyes returned to observing the heiress. "Yeah. Thanks."

And so he flipped the switch, throwing the room into shadows. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness where screens and LEDs of working machines were the only sources of light, he spent a brief while on watching Ruby and Weiss, then backed away from the room. "Have a good night, you two."

"Good night, Jaune." Ruby's words were half-hearted at best, but, given the circumstances, it was not at all surprising.

He partially closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar to let some light inside. Having leant against the wall next to the entrance to the infirmary, he pulled out his Scroll, hoping that this time he'd be able to get in contact with the civilized world and check up on his family, who remained in the still besieged city of Vale. Sadly, he had no such luck – this accursed place their mission led them to was both out of charts and out of range of the CCT System, and the closest support tower was apparently acting up. Disappointed, he took a while to once again go through the last few text messages from his parents and sisters, then, the moment he was about to walk away and head straight to his bed, he heard the very last thing he expected to hear: a sad melody of a quiet, filled with emotion voice.

 _It's now or never_

 _Don't surrender_

 _We came too far to die_

 _So claim your weapon_

 _This ain't heaven_

 _We came here now to fight_

Ruby's singing was unpracticed and the girl had problems with pulling out some of the lower notes, but it didn't make her performance any less touching – the raw feelings poured into these verses made up for any and all imperfections, even when her voice began to crack.

 _All we have is now..._

 _Came too far to die..._

 _Claim your weapon now..._

 _Came here now to fight..._

Ruby fell silent for a few moments after her song had ended; when she spoke again, her words were nothing more than a quiet murmur, rendering Jaune unable to make any sense out of what he had heard. Still, he didn't have to know what exactly the girl had said to realize that whatever it was, it was not meant for his ears, and so he silently retreated down the corridor, tactfully leaving the pair alone.

In the meantime, tears rolled down Ruby's face as she gazed at her partner's sleeping form, her eyes wistfully exploring the facial features of this girl bathed in a dim, reddish light. "I'd do anything to have you back," she whispered, bringing her hand to Weiss' cheek. "Come back to me, Weiss... ple-ease, just fight it and come back to me-e."

* * *

Someone touched Ruby's shoulder and gave her a gentle shake, stirring the girl awake from her dreamless slumber. Still half asleep, the ravenette lifted her surprisingly heavy head from its resting spot on the edge of Weiss' bed and attempted – with a somewhat moderate success – to focus her eyes on the individual that had prematurely ended her nap; vaguely remembering that there was only one person on board with dark blue hair, she figured that the slightly blurred face in front of her had to belong to doctor Grapes.

"I'm sorry, miss Rose, but I need you to leave the room for now," the woman said, smiling apologetically. "You will be allowed to return here once we are done."

Ruby just stared blankly at the doctor for a second or two, her drowsy mind needing a moment to process what the woman had said. "Oh. Alright," she mumbled eventually, a small spark of understanding appearing in her silver orbs as she noticed two other people in white coats bustling around the room.

She rested her gaze on her sleeping friend for a while, taking in the image of Weiss' peaceful face. As her eyes strayed a bit lower, Ruby realized that her partner's hand was linked with hers; smiling softly at the sight, she carefully untangled her fingers from the heiress', then started preparing to get up from the floor. To her surprise, she found Yang's jacket lying on the ground beside her, having probably fallen off her back when doctor Grapes woke her up; putting it across her shoulder, Ruby stood up with a loud pop of her knees, then, stealing one more look at Weiss, reluctantly walked towards the exit.

The girl stopped by the door for a second, glancing at doctor Grapes. "Take care of her, doc." With that, she left the room, closing the door as she crossed the threshold.

She stretched, raising her arms above her head and bending her back, a soft moan escaping her throat when she did so. Somehow, she felt even more tired than she did before dozing off, and, to make matters even worse, her whole body screamed at her in outrage for sleeping the way she did – not that it made her regret her decision to stay with Weiss for the night. Rubbing her sore neck, she checked the hour on her Scroll, then unhurriedly strolled in the direction of the mess hall; seeing that she was already late for breakfast, she did not think there was any harm in taking her time.

When she finally got to the canteen, Nora, Jaune, Oscar, and the two of her teammates were already munching on pancakes made by Ren, who was still in the kitchen, keeping the food coming. Qrow, apparently done with the breakfast, was lying on the couch, while Raven was nowhere to be seen.

"Morning," she greeted them groggily, then marched towards her sister and put the blonde's jacket on the backrest of Yang's chair. "Thanks for the jacket, though I wasn't really cold."

Corners of Yang's mouth moved slightly upwards, but her weak smile didn't quite reach her lilac eyes, which were carefully examining Ruby's state. "Don't mention it." The blonde, too, didn't seem like she had a good night's rest.

Her sister's gaze followed the silver-eyed girl to the kitchen, where Ruby busied herself with preparing her morning coffee – she had barely got any shut-eye that night and felt that she desperately needed caffeine if she was supposed to stay awake.

Back when she had entered the room, Ruby noticed that Jaune looked as if there was something on his mind, visibly bothering the man; when she was in the middle of the process of adding sugar to her drink, the boy finally decided to voice his thoughts.

"Hey, guys... what are we going to do now?"

Ruby didn't even spare the man a single look, idly stirring her coffee with a spoon. "Carry on with the plan – find Salem and kill her. It's not like we have any choice at this point," she said calmly, as if giving him an obvious answer.

"We could always retreat, you know."

Ruby snorted at that, pausing her preparations and leaving her drink safely on the countertop as she turned towards Jaune, looking at him sharply, any signs of her previous drowsiness gone. "And how is this alternative any better?" she questioned cynically, visibly agitated. "All of our major cities are being sieged by Grimm. If we fall back now, there might not be any Remnant left to save before we get another shot to hunt Salem down. Everything we've done and lost, everything we've sacrificed – all of it would be _completely. Fucking. Meaningless_!" Raising her voice towards the end, she accentuated each pause with a furious knock on the table. After a moment, she sighed heavily and cast her gaze downwards, seemingly slightly ashamed of her loss of composure, then shook her head and began to wipe the countertop with a piece of cloth, having accidentally spilled some of her coffee. "We _can't_ leave, Jaune."

Blake nodded darkly. "And we can't wait for Weiss, either. We don't have enough time, and the longer we're in here the more her life is in danger. So, whatever we are planning to do, we need to do it soon."

Yang, while agreeing with both of her teammates, was quite worried about their odds of success. "True, but... can we even pull that off without Weiss?" She certainly had a point – even if one ignored the negative impact Weiss' current state had on all three of them and their performance, the heiress was virtually the only person on their team who was capable of some serious crowd control; while not as vital in combat against a few strong Grimm, her abilities could prove invaluable when faced against a horde, as was proven the day before. "Most of our crowd control just went right out the window, and I don't think Salem is gonna fight us without a small army of Grimm backing her up. Not to mention all the monsters we need to cut down just to get to her."

"Uh... I believe I can help with that," Oscar chimed in shyly. "I'm not nearly as proficient in Dust manipulation as Weiss is, but I know a thing or two. Besides... well, you know," he said, awkwardly pointing at his head with his finger. Indeed, everyone did know what he had in mind – both literally and figuratively.

Blake gave him a long look, apparently having some mixed feelings about this offer – on one hand she couldn't deny that Oscar's presence would certainly be of help, but on the other she was not particularly fond of the potential risk of losing the Wizard. "Are you sure?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah... it's like Ruby said – we don't really have a choice. And I didn't come here with you to stand on the sidelines, either; seeing that I'm Ozpin's successor or whatever, getting rid of Salem is kinda my job." He rubbed his neck, sheepishly glancing to the side. "That, and Oz wouldn't shut up otherwise." Oscar paused for a while, as if listening to something, then exhaled tiredly and closed his eyelids.

With a brief flash of green light, Ozpin took control over Oscar's body. "In fact, I believe it's me who should be asking you that question – are you sure you want to take this risk?" the Headmaster spoke with Oscar's voice as he looked at the people gathered in the room, his gaze lingering for a moment over the silver-eyed girl perched on the armrest of Qrow's couch before carrying on.

"And you have, before we even came here," Ruby remarked stoically, taking lazy sips from her mug, as if there was nothing left to be discussed on her part.

"But is the answer the same?" Ozpin countered, but it did not make any impression on the scythe-wielder, who appeared to be determined to see this whole mess through despite – or perhaps _because of_ \- everything that had happened. In Ruby's eyes, the path that led over Salem's dead body was the only one that ensured Weiss' safety, and that was reason enough for her to not back out no matter what dangers lay in wait.

While Yang shared her sister's sentiment, she was also afraid that they were about to bit more than they could possibly chew, essentially walking into their own grave. "Oz... do you still think we can defeat Salem in combat? Without Weiss to back us up?"

The whole room fell silent as the Headmaster considered his answer, the tension hanging in the air; even Qrow sat up on his couch, looking at Oscar attentively. "It'll be harder, of course... but yes. The Witch's powers render the advantage of numbers void at best... and crippling at worst. Time will be of the essence, however – we'll need to be quick, lest we get overwhelmed by other Creatures of Grimm that will surely come to aid their mistress."

"But how are we even going to get to her?" Yang questioned. "She knows we're coming for her, and we won't do shit if she just sits comfortably in the middle of a swarm of Grimm."

Ozpin smiled wryly. "She'll let us. She wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to _personally_ snuff the humanity's last hope, after all, especially after they dared to set a foot in her land." Everybody already knew where he was going with this and literally no one seemed to like it, but he continued regardless. "It'll be a trap, of course, but we'll just have to go with it. In any case, it's _getting away_ that we should be worried about – not getting _to_ her."

Everyone looked at each other, trying to assess what the rest of the group thought of the situation. When Yang met Blake's eyes, the two of them simply nodded at one another after a brief moment of consideration, then both turned towards Ruby and once again bobbed their heads, their leader responding them with the same gesture. Before long, every person in the room expressed their readiness, with various degrees of hesitation – or lack thereof. None of them wanted to stay idle when the world was about to end; they would defeat Salem or die trying – for Remnant, for their friends and families, and for Weiss.

Yang turned towards Ozpin. "So, what do we do?"

* * *

After the impromptu war council had ended, JNR tagged along when Ruby and her teammates, wanting to check up on Weiss, went to the medical bay. On their way to the patients room, they bumped into doctor Grapes and a few of her colleagues, who seemed to have a most passionate conversation. Not knowing what could've caused such fervent debate, all six of them felt a sudden pang of unease.

Alarmed, Ruby ran to the blue-haired medic. "What's with the commotion? Did something happen?" She was practically starting to panic. "Is Weiss...?"

Before the girl could go further down this train of thought, Viena interrupted her, placing her hand on Ruby's shoulder and smiling good-naturedly. "She's quite alright. In fact, it's the rapid rate in which she's recovering that's the source of this heated discussion. In any case, we're convinced that miss Schnee's life is no longer in danger. It will be a while before the patient will be able to safely perform any strenous activity, of course, but..." The doctor paused for a while, noticing the tears that started to trickle down the ravenette's face. "Miss Rose?"

Ruby just stood still for a moment, covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes cloudy and gaze slightly absentminded. Then, she stumbled to the nearby wall and slumped down to the floor, her knees buckling under her weight as the tension that had been keeping her upright had left her system. Relieved beyond belief, Ruby cried freely and openly, too overwhelmed and ecstatic to care about any pretense. Her teammates knelt beside her, but neither of them seemed to be worried, beaming happily at each other and their leader. Wrapped in a group hug, the three of them stayed like that for a while, watched by their friends and doctors, who all were smiling at the sight. Eventually, Ruby, Blake and Yang looked up and said their thanks to the doctors, who silently bowed their heads and then simply walked away, leaving the youngsters to their own devices.

For Ruby and the rest of them, these news were but a single thing to be happy about amongst more reasons to worry than they cared to count, but it was precisely what they needed in their darkest hour – enough to cause the future lying ahead of them seem just a little bit brighter.

Weiss was saved, and it gave them hope. And hope made a whole world of difference.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Jeesh, that was a long one. The damned thing just didn't stop coming, y'kno? And to think that I initially considered posting both this chapter and 'Ad Memoriam' together... silly me. What can I say – I'm _abysmal_ at predicting the length of these updates. Seems my writing pace is getting better, at least, and it _might_ further improve from this point onwards, as this chapter is the last one of the, uh, let's call it 'Beacon Arc'. Call it a hunch, but I think the following 'arc' will be easier for me to write.

So, yeah... I've been waiting for quite a long time to finally be able to write this one (pretty much ever since I first published this story), and I sure hope I managed to deliver it reasonably well. Shedding some more light at the exact circumstances of Weiss being wounded, showing you guys how the rest of the group coped with the situation, and so on... as such, I'm really curious what do you think of this update – whether or not you enjoyed it, if I was able to convey the feels and all that – and I'd love to hear your opinions and critique; believe me, I'm hyped _every single time_ when I see a message titled "Review: After the storm" pop up in my mailbox, and these little things really tend to brighten my day.

As I mentioned in my previous A/N, I now have a Discord account. Should anyone be interested, the invite link to my Discord server ends with /NyfaacQ , while my nickname is Terkontar#1181 – feel free to drop in, whether you want to check on the progress of the next chapter, chat with me about the story, or to simply talk my ear off c: also, I kind of did promise myself to draw more often this year, which may or may not involve posting a lot of story-related drawings and sketches on my Discord server in the future.

Oh, right, before I forget: the lyrics of the song Ruby sings in this chapter are taken from "Claim your weapon" by Christian Reindl.

Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone who posted a review the last time around. See you all next chapter, and happy new year!


	12. Parting

_**Chapter XI: Parting**_

Weiss stood alone under the starlit skies, silently mulling over her troubled thoughts – or, to be more exact, trying to think of more ways to describe just how pathetic she saw herself in her own eyes, as none of the insults she came up with so far did her feelings justice. She had but a single job, one which she had fucked up royally: to simply be there for her team until the very end, whatever end it would be. In a sense, her messing up was all old news – she knew that much the moment she woke up at Beacon, and the bitter aftertaste of failure had never left her mouth since, even despite Ruby's plea for Weiss not to blame herself. Thing was, said aftertaste grew ever stronger with each little detail the heiress learned about the events that had occured while she was unconscious, and Jaune's tale caused this chalice of poison to finally overflow, then toppled it over altogether.

Having said his part, Jaune bid her farewell soon after wrapping up his story, probably aware that she needed some space. ' _Or simply hoping to get out of the blast radius before I explode_ ,' the heiress mused with a fairly sour smirk plastered on her lips, slightly amused by the thought. While assuming that she was angry would not be incorrect, just an understatement, Jaune – or anyone else, for that matter – was not the object of Weiss' ire, as the white-haired girl had reserved all of her hatred for her own self. She knew that upsetting her was not Jaune's intention, and, in fact, she was quite grateful to the lad for telling her how everyone had fared while she was out cold, even though this knowledge was nothing if not painful; she just needed a while to process all of this information... and to stomp on her own ego until it no longer drew breath.

The way she saw it, the rest of the group sent to get rid of Salem did nothing wrong when they carried on without her, simply making most of the worst situation; as far as Weiss was concerned, these people were bloody heroes, and she had no reason to harbor any ill will towards them. She herself, on the other hand... she tried to make a difference, but at the end of the day all she had accomplished was learning that she was too weak to do so, and failing those who had relied on her. Now she also knew just how much pain had this failure caused for those whom she loved – and, combined, it hurt far more than any physical wound ever could.

Time flew by as dark thoughts whirled inside Weiss' head. She just stood in the same spot for fifteen, maybe thirty minutes, exactly where Jaune had left her, resting her elbows against a stone balustrade; although she was gazing at the night sky, she remained indifferent to the serene beauty of the starry firmament, too occupied to actually perceive it. Eventually, something picked her attention, stirring her from her toxic reverie – a soft echo of steady, energetic footsteps of someone who absolutely did not try to be sneaky. She looked over her shoulder in the general direction of the noise and, soon, a familiar blonde girl walked into her field of view, a smile appearing on the newcomer's face when their eyes met.

"Here you are. Ruby started to worry about you. Wouldn't sit still till I promised that I'd go and look for you." As Yang came a bit closer and took a better look at the white-haired girl, she slowed her pace, her smile quickly melting into a worried frown. "What's wrong?"

Weiss lifted one corner of her mouth in a manner that was supposed to resemble a nonchalant smirk, but it came out as nothing more but a painful grimace. "Nothing much. Jaune and I have had a small chat about what happened while I was out cold, and now I'm having an episode of well-justified self-loathing. Please, don't mind me." She turned away from Yang, fixing her gaze on some unspecified, infinitely distant point straight ahead. Dropping her facade, Weiss knitted her brows, her expression a mixture of disappointment and sorrow. "It's not like I'm worth of your time, anyways," she added quietly, sounding frail even in her own ears.

Yang, in spite of Weiss' last remark, approached her friend and leaned her back against the balustrade, looking the white-haired girl in the eye. "I'd like to disagree," she said, dead-serious, with her arms crossed. One look at the blonde's face was enough to tell that she had already entered full big-sister mode, and it was fairly obvious that she had no intention of going away. She stayed silent, giving Weiss a choice – if she wanted to talk, Yang would listen; if not, she'd simply keep her company. No third option to be chosen from.

A faint, bitter smile crept onto Weiss' lips. It was moving, in a way, how deeply her friends cared for her... but it also made her sense of guilt all the harder to bear. Still, Weiss figured that her situation always could have been worse – even though a small part of her being was disappointed that it was not Ruby who had found her, she was thankful that it turned out to be this way, as she had a feeling she would not even be able to hold her partner's gaze at that very moment.

A few minutes had passed and neither of them spoke, with the heiress silently clinging to the hope that Yang would eventually run out of patience and leave her alone. The blonde, however, thought nothing of being ignored, simply pretending to be looking around and enjoying the views, glancing at Weiss from time to time. In the end, the heiress was the first one to give up; guessing that she would not be allowed to brood in peace, she figured she might as well use that opportunity to vent.

"Ruby asked me not to blame myself that I hasn't been there for you when you went to fight Salem. Of course, I still hated the thought that a single Beowolf – a _Beowolf_ , for fuck's sake - was enough to stop me from being there for the rest of you... but I tried, I really tried not to think about it too much. For Ruby's sake," Weiss said and, raising one corner of her mouth sorrowfully, shot Yang a brief glance before looking down, at her clasped together hands hanging off the edge of the balustrade. "But you know how it is: it's easier not to think about your failure when you're unaware of its full extent. Now I simply know a bit more." She sighed heavily and, with some difficulty, mustered enough willpower to look Yang in the eye. "I didn't do anything. I wasn't there with you during that final fight. I made you worry for my life. If I'm not only unable to stand by your side when the three of you need me, but also cause you so much pain... then what good am I? How am I even supposed to look at myself in a mirror, Yang?"

The blonde gave Weiss a lopsided smile. "Can't help but point out that you forgot to mention the part where you got hurt just because you saved our asses from being overran. The four of us and Qrow are awesome, sure, but there's only so many Deathstalkers, Griffons and other-motherfuckers-I-don't-even-know-the-name-of we can take care of at one time before getting overwhelmed. Besides..." Suddenly, Yang paused for a while, as if she needed a moment to gather her thoughts, earning herself a questioning look from the heiress. Letting out a weary breath, the blonde pushed her hips away from the balustrade and turned around, placing both of her elbows atop the handrail. With a frown marring her forehead, she spent a few seconds staring at the waning moon that silently sailed through the night sky, then continued with a slightly absentminded expression on her face, as if recalling a memory.

"Every time I look back at that mess of a day, I can't shake off the feeling that it was not a simple recon that went FUBAR, but a trap. So many Grimm, of so many different types, all of them acting coordinated? I know that we were in the middle of a Grimm territory, but I still doubt it was a coincidence." Prying her eyes away from the sky, Yang looked at Weiss. "I belive that our battle with Salem started earlier than you might think, and both Ruby and Qrow are with me on this one. First she threw a horde at us to wear us down, then decreased the pressure to make us lower our guards. We got cocky, and by that time you had already used up most of your Aura to protect us, then hit your head... so she took advantage of it and used one of her Grimm – one that was something insignificant, something that the rest of us would likely completely ignore among all of that chaos – to get you. And then, probably coming to the conclusion that getting the rest of us right then would be a waste of resources, she pretty much let us go, to let the metaphorical wound fester; practically no Grimm followed us when we were running away." Yang forced a wry smile, but it looked almost as if she was baring her teeth in a snarl. "Psychological warfare at its finest, lemme tell ya."

"So you think I was a target?"

The blonde's shoulders rose and fell as she shrugged. "Maybe, or maybe she would be fine with any of us – I dunno. All I know for sure is that this bitch was clever, and that she wanted to break us before finishing us off in person." Looking to the side with a dark expression on her face, Yang lowered her voice. "And I've gotta admit, she had the right idea."

"Well, then there's at least one difference I made in this war. But did it have to be giving Salem a way to weaken the rest of you?" Weiss shook her head with a short, self-depreciating laugh. "I really am pathetic," she stated. Then, having received an exasperated huff in response, she turned her eyes towards Yang, and was met with an irked glower.

"Are you saying that the few of us who had the questionable pleasure of fighting that bitch in person were the only ones who have actually mattered in this goddamned war?" Yang questioned, her voice taking an uncharacteristically harsh tone, the ice in the words she spoke making the heiress regret having said what she had. "What about all those who have helped us along the way, or about those who have willingly sacrificed their lives to protect Remnant, making it possible for us to go after Salem? Is all they've done also pathetic and meaningless? Is that how you really see things, Weiss?"

The girl in question bit her lower lip and let her gaze fall to the ground, not really knowing how to respond. Yang's cold tone brought her back to her senses, dispersing the toxic thoughts that clouded her judgement. She understood the point Yang was trying to make, and knew that her teammate was right; no matter how badly Weiss loathed herself for what had happened, saying that she hadn't accomplished anything in the war was _factually_ wrong, even if it didn't seem to be the case when she was looking at the things through the lens of her self-hatred. This whole conflict was not won by her team alone, nor even by those involved with the Circle – it was bigger than all of them. Winning this struggle was an effect of years of work and of the joint effort of thousands upon thousands of people, both Huntsmen and ordinary folk, many of which had become nameless heroes of this time of troubles. Without those seemingly random people, there would be no strike force sent to take down Salem. There would be no victory. The Relics would've been lost, the Academies would've been destroyed, and the Kingdoms thrown into chaos. But, together, they prevented this grim fate – and Weiss was also a part of that. More than that, she was someone who had been in the very heart of things for well over a year, in a sense being one of those who led the charge, and she did all in her might to help the effort; if all her contributions were to be rendered void by the fact that she was not present during the showdown with Salem, the same would be true for all those people who made said showdown possible in the first place, at times paying the highest price. It would not fair towards them... and, by analogy, it was not fair towards Weiss, even if the heiress' feelings didn't quite agree with it.

The blonde continued to grace the heiress with her withering glare of disapproval for a few more seconds, making the white-haired girl shrink in herself in a manner not unlike a child would after being scolded by a parent or an older sibling. Eventually, seeing that she got her message across, Yang softened her stare, her scowl slowly melting away. She reached towards Weiss, who flinched briefly as Yang's hand drew closer to her head, then pulled the surprised girl into a sisterly embrace.

She exhaled loudly before she proceeded to speak. "Schnee, you moron. Even though you were not with us at the end, you still made this victory possible. We wouldn't get nowhere as far as we did without you. If you weren't with us over the past year and half, we wouldn't be able to stop Her from getting the Relics, nor from destroying Atlas Academy. If you weren't there to save her ass, Ruby would've drowned in that frozen river in Atlas. Blake, Ruby, Qrow and I would've been fucking _dead_ before we could even face Salem if you haven't done your best to protect us. The list goes on and on," Yang said, then fell silent for a few seconds before carrying on. "This war was not won with a single battle, or by our team alone... and it might've been long lost without you. Can you just acknowledge that, or do I seriously need to give you some of my tough love?"

Weiss cast her gaze down. She _logically_ understood that the final days of the war would've unfolded very differently if she hadn't forfeited her own safety in order to make sure that her team made it out alive. It admittedly wasn't a conscious decision on her part back then, and it resulted in being taken down in a rather humiliating manner, but even if she was given an opportunity to go back in time, she wouldn't change it – her teammates' lives were a priority. If she hadn't given it her all to keeping the advance of Grimm relatively manageable, they would've all died, overpowered by a horde that was simply too numerous for them to handle in an open field. The humanity's last chance would've likely died along with them - the whole operation was a risky gamble that the whole war depended on, and the people involved were far too few for their lives to be a commodity, making the loss of an entire team of skilled Huntsmen something that would almost surely lead to failure. Among the five of them who took part in the battle, she was the only one capable of effectively slowing down the enemy's assault, thus, in a way, the fate of the entire world rested on Weiss' shoulders for a while, relying on her ability to ensure her comrades' survival. In theory, she succeed... and yet, every time she thought of the pain she had caused to her team, or every time she recalled the tormented look in Ruby's eye when the girl had been telling her how Salem had tried to break them, she felt as if a metaphorical shard of ice that was embedded in her chest had been driven slightly deeper into her heart. She might've saved their lives, but she also should've _been_ _there_ for them afterwards. She would've given anything to do so, but the cruel fate still did not allow her to do both; it made her furious - at herself, and at the very way the world worked in... and now every single fiber of her being wanted to scream at the injustice that was done to her, done to all four of them.

Sensing that her eyes started to water, Weiss buried her face in her friend's shoulder. "I should've been there with the three of you till the very end," she mumbled weepingly into Yang's jacket, letting the hot tears of bottled-up frustration flow. "We didn't deserve to be separated like tha-at. It just wasn't fair."

Yang wrapped Weiss a bit tighter in her arms, gently stroking the back of the girl's head; when she spoke, her voice was calm and soothing. "You're right, Weiss. You deserved better than to go down like this, and we deserved to have you with us when we went to fight Salem. But since when was _any_ of this shit about what we deserved?" She paused for a while, as if giving Weiss an opportunity to speak. The heiress remained silent, spare for occasional soft sobs; the question was rhetorical enough, and Weiss also feared she'd only further embarass herself if she tried to say something. After a moment had passed, Yang continued. " _None_ of us deserved to go through this hell of a war. Not you, not me, not Blake... and certainly not Ru. But if there's one important thing to remember about bad things, it's the fact that they just fucking happen anyways. So we had to roll with the punches, whether we liked it or not. And we survived, somehow. But it wouldn't be possible if we didn't have each other's backs. And if you really think that we could've made it through without you, or that you didn't make a difference in the end, then you're a bloody idiot, Weiss. An idiot I love, but still an idiot," Yang stated, then blinked in surprise after hearing a muffled giggle coming from Weiss.

"Things really must look serious if an oaf like yourself calls _me_ an idiot."

Once her initial bemusement had passed, Yang found herself grinning a bit; letting out a quiet chuckle, she rested her chin atop the shorter girl's head. "That they do."

* * *

Yang and Weiss talked some more before heading back towards the field where the marquee housing the banquet was pitched. As they drew closer and the large tent came into view from behind a hedgerow, they noticed that someone was standing by the entrance, waiting for them; the girl, dressed in black and red, waved happily the moment she saw them. A few seconds later, a tall, blonde man peeked out from the tent; when Ruby noticed his presence, she crossed her arms and gave him a rather pointy look, which prompted the boy to awkwardly retreat back inside. Once he disappeared, the ravenette started marching in Weiss and Yang's direction; seeing this, the heiress, who had already been lagging a bit behind her blonde teammate, further slowed her pace, eventually coming to a halt.

The sisters exchanged meaningful glances as they passed each other by, with Yang heading towards the tent and leaving Weiss alone with Ruby. With her eyes directed the other way, Weiss rather heard than saw her partner's approach – the sound of light, measured steps muffled by the grass that ultimately faded into silence when the scythe-wielder came to a halt. Still, even though she was well aware that her best friend was standing just a few feet away from her, waiting, Weiss did not turn to face her leader, as if too afraid to do so.

"Weiss," Ruby softly called her partner' name, hoping to get white-haired girl to look at her. It was not an order, but a plea – one which Weiss was unable to not comply with.

Slowly turning her head, the heiress looked up, meeting Ruby's compassionate gaze. The girl simply seemed to know what thoughts had been – and still were, to some degree – plaguing Weiss' mind, and the heiress found it to be both reassuring and highly embarassing; nonetheless, despite the strong temptation, break the eye contact she did not.

For a while, Ruby simply observed the heiress with a concerned frown, then opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came forth. Instead, the girl stepped closer and pulled the other into a hug.

Weiss silently enjoyed the warmth of the embrace for a few seconds. "That's it? You're not going to give me another lecture?" she asked half-jokingly.

A gust of air tickled Weiss' ear when her friend puffed in amusement. "Would you like me to reiterate on some of the points that Yang, as I believe, has already presented to you?"

"Hell no."

"Then I just want you to remember that you've always been by my side, unless you really couldn't help it. That you've always believedin me, even when I didn't. And that none of your teammates think any less of you now – we all owe you a lot, even if you don't feel that way right now."

The heiress remained silent for a while, a small wrinkle present between her brows while she was thinking of a reply. "I appreciate what you are saying, and I understand the points both you and Yang are trying to make... but I still feel that I've failed the team. Especially you, as your partner."

Ruby chuckled under her breath, but there was no mirth to this melody. "Seems that the sense of having failed each other is one of the things the four of us have in common, then," she said with a hint of pensiveness in her voice, releasing her friend from her arms.

As she unhurriedly pulled away, Weiss shot Ruby an inquisitive look. "What do you mean?"

Having glanced towards the nearby tent, Ruby gestured with her hand in the opposite direction, away from other people's ears. Weiss, not opposed to the idea of enjoying the night for a bit longer, simply started marching where the other girl had pointed, with Ruby striding by her side.

As they were strolling across the field and down the small hill, Ruby began to elaborate on her previous statement. "So, where to start... Ever since we've returned, there are times when Yang gets all thoughtful and falls silent, looking away every time she meets mine or Blake's eyes. It doesn't happen that often and is rather brief, but it keeps reappearing every now and then." She left it hanging there for a moment, curiously searching for any reaction on Weiss' face. Indeed, the heiress was vaguely familiar with the thing Ruby had described, having noticed such bahaviour on a handful of occassions, though not really understanding the reason behind it; seeing a spark of recognition in her partner's eyes, Ruby carried on, unconsciously putting her thumbs in her pockets.

"When we went to fight Salem, sis... had her doubts. About herself, about our odds of survival, about other things. And then, when we've finally met the Witch... she had lost her hope, and because of that she couldn't snap out of Salem's control. And so, she was used against the people she loved... she was made to _try and murder_ those people. She wasn't herself, but she feels like a traitor anyways, and keeps saying that 'this would not have happened if she wasn't so weak-willed'. Still, I..." she started, only for her voice to trail off almost immediately afterwards.

Noticing that her partner had rather abruptly slowed down and then stopped walking, Weiss also came to a halt, turning around as a sudden wave of anxiety washed over her. Ruby was standing just out of arm's reach, looking away with a somewhat harrowed expression visible on her face, the words she had been about to say having gotten stuck in her throat. Before the heiress could speak or do anything, the girl, not turning around, proceeded to continue from where she had left off; still, Weiss could practically _feel_ just how hard it was for Ruby to talk about the matter.

"I know how it was like, to have Salem in my head. And I really can't bring myself to blame Yang. After all, she's not the only one who was close to slipping," the silver-eyed girl confessed quietly.

Something tightened inside Weiss' chest, an ice cold shiver running down her body. "Ruby...?"

Ruby glanced at her partner before once again turning her eyes towards the ground. She seemed apolegetic... ashamed, even, as if she genuinely wanted to give Weiss a reply, but couldn't bring herself to do so. "It's... I'm sorry, Weiss, but it's something I'd rather not talk about at the moment. All I'm going to say for now is that the thought that there were people who counted on me, who still _believed in me,_ was the only thing that kept me afloat..." She turned her head towards her partner, apparently having mustered enough willpower to hold Weiss' gaze. "And that even if you haven't been able to be there, you've still helped me in the darkness." Along with these words, Ruby gave her partner a weak but affectionate smile, one that shone beautifully even despite the girl's slightly watered eyes, for a second making Weiss' heart mess up its rhythm. Then, as if in a fit of sudden embarassment, the ravenette looked away, sheepishly scratching the back of her head with her left hand. "Uh, but I've digressed, so let's get back on track."

Ruby awkwardly resumed her stroll, carrying on with her explanation. "So, Blake... Blake still blames herself for willingly abandoning sis and I after the Fall of Beacon. She knew that Yang would need her, and yet she still ran away... but, even if she only wanted to protect us, she's done _the very worst thing_ she could do when it comes to Yang. Sure, it's all long forgiven and repaid as far as _we_ are concerned, but _she_ is still not done with guilttripping herself, even though sis is working on that. As for myself..." She exhaled through her nose with a quiet puff, as if letting out a short, silent laugh. "I keep replaying every situation that went downhill in my mind, thinking of things I could've done differently, done _better..._ you all have entrusted me with your lives, and yet time and time again I've fucked up and failed said trust by putting you in unnecessary danger, or by making you suffer because of my decisions, or..."

"As if!" Weiss objected ardently, going as far as to interrupt her partner. "We've been over this, but fine, here we go again: I can see how alleged 'fuck-ups' might seem in the hindsight, but you are _not_ omniscient - you just _couldn't_ predict every single outcome or scenario that would happen. Yes, it _did_ result in close calls and hardships, but you were never the one that was to blame; you were the one that got us _through_ them. We all have followed you out of our own volition, and I, for one, have never felt that my trust was misplaced, or that you've failed me as a leader, or as a partner, or a friend."

Ruby seemed to appreciate Weiss' words, but, at the same time, the faint smirk that had appeared on her lips told the heiress that the girl might've just set Weiss up, having predicted how her partner would react and using it to make her point. Nonetheless, it did seem that Ruby had truly meant what she had said.

"Even if you're objectively right... tell me, did anything that Yang has said change the way you feel about yourself?" Ruby questioned with a knowing look in her eyes, then grinned, seeing a 'no' painted all over the heiress' face. "I rest my case. Even if no one else blames me, I do, the same way Blake and Yang blame themselves. Just like you do, despite having saved the day back when there was a real risk that years of efforts to defeat Salem would all go to waste."

Weiss marched onwards alongside Ruby, quietly considering what her partner had said. While most of the things the girl had mentioned were issues the heiress was more or less aware of, she also knew Ruby's goal was less to inform her, and more to show her a different point of view, to make Weiss look at her own case from a slightly different angle; to that end, Ruby had certainly succeeded.

Having remained silent for a while as to let her words sink in, Ruby fixed her gaze on the starry sky overhead and continued speaking, pretty much voicing Weiss' thoughts. "When something dear to us is at stake, we want to give our best to make sure nothing bad happens. But there are times when the things don't go the way we would want them to, when even 'our best' is not enough – expectations are not met, duties are not fulfilled, feelings are hurt, promises broken, lives put in danger... and when something so important is at risk, we often blame ourselves for failure, taking it personally and coming up with a number of 'what ifs', even if there was nothing we possibly could've done, or when no one else blames us. But, irrational as it objectively may be, it's just how we feel, and our feelings are always valid. So I understand why do you feel the way you do – it's only natural. It shows that you care." She glanced at her partner, giving the white-haired girl a fond smile that bore some visible traces of underlying sadness. "Just remember that you're not alone... and that we shouldn't let our regrets eat us alive. We all have messed up at some point. We all _are_ messed up. But we have to keep moving forward."

"Easier said than done."

Ruby laughed softly, turning her eyes towards the waning moon and wrapping her arm around Weiss' shoulder. "Oh, don't I know it. Still, as long as we stick together... I think we will be fine, eventually."

Weiss didn't say anything to that, simply thinking about all that she had heard that night. " _They are fine, at least as far as their bodies are concerned,_ " Ozpin's words echoed in her mind, causing the heiress to smile bitterly. Back at the time, she didn't think much of the second part of his statement, simply relieved that all of her teammates had survived, but, as more days passed, she started picking up on some little things that eventually made her realize that the old headmaster had stressed that distinction for a reason. In truth, none of the girls had returned from their last battle unscathed – the wounds were there if you looked long enough, even if it wasn't the body that they scarred. Each member of team RWBY had been given a new burden to bear, and Weiss was no exception, having to live with the guilt of the one that had stayed behind.

Ruby was right – they all were broken, in their own unique ways... but not yet beyond repair. Each of them was going to need their friends just as much as they had ever needed them in the heat of the battle, but, given enough time and with each other's support, they should be able to eventually recover. Or so she hoped, at least.

She was grateful to Jaune for filling her in on what had happened, even if it did nothing to alleviate the feeling of guilt that had been slowly eating away at her soul; true, it did add more fuel to the flame of self-hatred that she had been trying to suppress, but it also shed some light on what her friends had gone through, allowing Weiss to better understand what they were feeling. It was also a much needed reminder that, despite all of her shortcomings, both large and small, she was still cherished and respected by those who were dear to her, and, while it came with its own set of issues related to her sense of worthlessness, it meant a lot to her.

Though they tried, neither Yang nor Ruby was able to completely calm her conscience. She still felt as if she had failed them, or maybe failed _herself;_ she did, however, feel slightly better, having talked about her bottled up anxiety, as if some weight was lifted from her chest, no longer crushing her under its pressure. That being said, one thing she had heard kept bothering her.

Weiss glanced at her partner's moonlit profile, the image of the girl's pained expression from before still burning vividly in her memory. It was the second time Ruby mentioned what had happened during their encounter with Salem, and once again the little bits of information the heiress had learned - both from Ruby's words and the way she behaved - had left her deeply concerned, shaken, even – perhaps more so than before, seeing that it was the first time, Weiss believed, when her partner had ever told her that there was something she didn't want to talk about. Weiss understood that the day was emotionally exhausting as it were, so she still had faith that Ruby would confide in her _eventually,_ but the refusal alone was very telling. What worried her the most was something that she hadn't realized outright, though it had given her the creeps back at the time – the fact that the phrase 'to have Salem in my head' coming from Ruby's mouth didn't sound like a simple metaphore.

Looking at the silver-eyed girl with a worried frown, she couldn't help but wonder: ' _what has she done to you, exactly?'_ Somehow, Weiss was unable to shake off the feeling that a part of her _did_ know, on some subconscious level, the answer to that question. It kept eluding her mind despite her best efforts, however, just like a name that was on the tip of one's tongue that stubbornly refused to be remembered; whatever it was, it made her worry all the more. ' _And how have I 'helped you in the darkness'?_ The words _'I haven't done anything'_ once again popped inside Weiss' mind, but this time they didn't spark any hateful thoughts – she was just too concerned about Ruby at that moment to be angry with herself.

The girl in question noticed Weiss' concerned stare and their eyes met for a brief while. Before long, Ruby looked aside, pursing her lips in a weary, sheepish smile, as if once again knowing exactly what was going on inside Weiss' head. She didn't say anything nor moved away, simply marching onwards with her gaze firmly placed on the ground one feet ahead of her. She looked vulnerable, but even though she was probably aware of that fact, she was not trying to hide behind her usual mask of an undaunted leader. It was almost as if Ruby _wanted_ to seen like that, and for some reason Weiss had a feeling that it was a sight reserved for her eyes only.

 _'Perhaps Jaune was right_ ,' the heiress thought to herself as she continued walking by her partner's side. Regardless of her doubts related to her own worthiness, if there was a single thing she was sure of in that very moment, it was that she actually felt needed, and this notion made the autumn night seem ever so slightly brighter and warmer.

"'As long as we stick together, we will be fine', you say," Weiss repeated Ruby's words thoughtfully, breaking the silence. She turned her eyes towards the moonlit sky, reassuringly reciprocating her friend's side hug. "I guess we are going to find out about that eventually, aren't we?" Although she worded it as a question, there was no uncertainty in her voice when she spoke, the message that she wanted to convey being that she _would_ stay by Ruby's side, and that she deemed the prospect of the two of them parting ways to be unfit of being spared a single thought.

Ruby, seemingly aware of what her partner meant, glanced in Weiss' direction with a tiny simper on her lips, then followed the heiress' gaze all the way to the distant stars. "Yeah."

Sticking together was never considered to be a question, as neither of them would have it any other way.

* * *

Not much time had passed before Ruby and Weiss returned to the marquee, rejoining other guests. The banquet carried on rather uneventfully in the air of amiable solidarity, with students from various Kingdoms and Beacon's staff mingling with each other. As the hour arm of the clock was pulling further and further away from midnight, the soft buzz of conversations began to quieten, the crowd slowly thinning out; eventually, only about half of the people remained.

Weiss, having politely withdrawn herself from all conversation some five minutes prior, was sitting alone on one of the solitary benches that were lining the tent's walls, away from the tables; with one of her elbows placed on the backrest and her legs stretched along the length of the bench, she was resting her head on her hand, struggling to stay awake. While she was entertaining herself with observing some poor students from Mistral being subjected to one of professor Port's lengthy anecdotes, she was approached by Ruby, who gave the heiress a slightly concerned look.

"You okay?"

"Mm. Just tired," Weiss murmured sleepily, then proceeded to take her legs off the bench in order to make some space for her partner to sit on. Ruby, having eased up a bit after hearing Weiss' reply, gratefully took up on the offer; a few moments after the silver-eyed girl had seated herself right next to the heiress, Weiss, apparently having an idea, glanced at her and asked: "Do you plan to get up anytime soon?"

The look on Ruby's face was one of confusion. "Uh... I don't think so? Why?"

Weiss, seemingly satisfied with such a response, paid no mind to her partner's bafflement. Leaving the girl's question unanswered, she simply rested her head against Ruby's shoulder and closed her eyelids, crossing her arms across her chest as to preserve her own body heat. "Good."

After a brief while, a quiet snort of laughter reached Weiss' ears; no objection ever came.

* * *

In her dreams, Weiss' explored a strange, eerie world of shadows and shades of gray, where human-shaped silhouettes of pure radiance and the tempestuous energy of Dust seemed to be the only sources of colour among the all-encompassing bleakness. She herself was nothing more than a spectator, unable to do much aside from passively witnessing scenes that were flashing before her eyes, sporadically being given a moment to listen or to take a better look before time and space shifted somewhere else. Because of that, she was unable to learn much from what she had heard or seen – just small bits of information devoid of context, seemingly unrelated to each other. While it was hard to connect one vision with another, one thing remained constant: the presence of a person wreathed in familiar, red light that seemed to act almost like an anchor, drawing Weiss towards it. The presence that she believed she'd recognize anywhere – Ruby's.

After another series of rapid flashes, the shadowy world around the heiress once again stabilized for a while and Weiss found herself in a gorge between two imposing masses of land that towered over the shattered landscape. Numerous spires that looked like holes punched clear through the canvas of the universe surrounded her, emanating an unsettling aura; the earth itself seemed dead and tainted with shadow. Here and there, small patches of grass fought for survival among the uncaring rocks, giving off a faint, ghostly glow that made them stand out among the barren, dark environment; the sky was about the only thing that seemed normal – moonlit and littered with tiny dots, its familiarty giving Weiss some semblance of comfort in this bizarre setting.

Nearby, four radiant figures ventured through the night – Ruby, accompanied by silhouettes of yellow, light purple and green, with the latter seemingly fluctuating between two slightly different shades. The identities of the rest of the group weren't hard to guess – Yang was the yellow one marching in the middle, following after Ruby and green Oscar, who were leading the party through the darkness; Blake, with her superior sight and hearing, strode silently at the end of the column, acting as a rear guard.

Weiss spent a moment to take a better look at the each of them; when she concentrated, she could practically make out – or imagine, at least - their facial features or what kind of clothing they wore, what expression they had on their faces. Tense and serious, they didn't talk much to one another; still, even though all were visibly concerned, they pressed onward nonetheless, and when it came to Ruby, Weiss could practically sense her determination almost as if it was her own.

Some time after they had left the ravine, Yang, who looked as if she wanted to say something for the past while, finally decided to voice her thoughts. "Hey, Os... isn't Salem's castle a bit more to the south?" she asked, pointing in the direction of another titanic crag, behind which the Witch's keep was supposedly hiding from their view. While everyone's internal light seemed to Weiss to be a bit dimmed in colour, it appeared to be especially true when it came to Yang, and although she had no idea how she came that conclusion, she just _knew_ she was right.

Oscar glanced over his shoulder to look at the blonde. "Uh... yeah, I guess," he replied awkwardly, as if not sure how to respond, continuing his stride northwest.

"I doubt we're headed to the castle. Seems unlikely we'd find her there," Ruby replied calmly, almost matter-of-factly. "Sure, it'd be a good position to hole up in if she was outnumbered... but she _isn't,_ and it's probably too confined inside to effectively use her numbers against us _._ Which might be exactly what she plans to do, considering that our ability to deal with swarms has gotten significantly reduced."

After these words, the redness of Ruby's radiance lost some of its intensity, with the lights of the others soon following suit. Then, the distant echo of gunshots was carried to them by the wind, and they all as one stopped dead in their tracks and turned their heads in the direction from where the sound had come.

"So it has started, huh," Yang murmured after a while of listening.

Ruby stared in silence, with her glow growing dull as worry and fear began creeping into her mind. Seeing this, Weiss nigh automatically approached the girl from behind, wishing she could say something or comfort her partner with a touch, wishing she could do _anything_... but, being a powerless spectator, she could not.

That's why she was surprised when Ruby actually turned around and looked right at her with a slightly confused look on her face – or rather right _through_ her, as Weiss came to realize after a brief moment, much to her disappointment. In the end, it appeared that the girl simply thought she had heard something behind her, her silver eyes peering into the darkness as to discern whether she was right or not.

Having noticed this strange behaviour, Blake, with her hand slowly drawing closer to the grip of Gambol Shroud, called Ruby's name, audibly concerned. "Ruby?"

Ruby simply took a deep breath and sighed, then, after casting a fleeting glance in the general direction from where they'd come, she turned away from Weiss and, seemingly having collected herself, renewed their group's march northwest. "T's nothing. Let's get going."

As Weiss watched the party march off into the unknown, the world around her began to spin and blur, and soon, the scenery had changed. For a brief while, she was presented with a full-coloured image of Ruby kneeling on all fours among the seemingly infinite darkness, but then, something suddenly jerked the heiress to the side, causing her to plunge into nothingness...

* * *

Weiss groaned as she stirred awake, called into consciousness by someone gently shaking her by her shoulder. Feeling as if she had barely gotten any sleep, she groggily opened her eyes and turned her head towards the girl sitting on the bench right next to her, whom she suspected to be the one who had dared to disturb her slumber. Once the slightly blurred image of her partner's face came into her view, Weiss, too tired to be angry, shot Ruby a long, drowsy look from under her only half-opened eyelids.

The younger girl smiled apologetically in response. "Hey. It's time to go. Blake and Yang are waiting for us outside."

The sun was already out, its golden glow seeping into the marquee through the windows and lighting up the white canvas of the walls. Most people had already left the tent, the few who had not either sleeping or chatting in hushed voices. If Weiss was to risk a guess, she'd be inclined to say that it was sometime after seven in the morning, which would mean that she had dozed off for about three hours, give or take – amount of sleep far from optimal, but still adequate... -ish.

Weiss sighed, slightly disappointed that she'd not be allowed to nap just for a while longer. Resigned to her sleep-deprived fate, she attempted to lift her hand in order to rub her eyes, but she unexpectedly encountered some resistance along the way. Feeling something warm and soft to the touch brush against her skin, the heiress cast her gaze down, onto her lap; only then did her drowsy mind register that both she and her partner were covered from the shoulders down with Ruby's cloak, which the other girl must have placed over their bodies like a blanket sometime after the heiress had fallen asleep. Seeing that small but thoughtful gesture, Weiss gave her partner a look of silent gratitude, corners of her mouth gently curving upwards.

Having rubbed the sleep from her eyes, the heiress left the comfort of her partner's cloak and stood up, exposing herself to the cold bite of the morning air that almost immediately caused her to miss the pleasant warmth she had been feeling just a moment before. She stretched, then, wrapping her arms around herself in the hope of fending off the chill, threw a sweeping glance at the handful of people who still remained within the tent. By the time her eyes once again turned towards Ruby, the girl had already risen from her seat and bundled herself up in her trademark red cloak.

"Have you stayed awake the whole night?" Weiss asked her partner, seeing the girl stifle a rather lengthy yawn.

"Nah. I fell asleep not that long after you, and have been up for... dunno, maybe the past ten minutes or so," Ruby replied, slowly inching away from the bench as she spoke. Drawing past the heiress, she gestured with her head for Weiss to come along. "Let's go."

Seeing no good reason to object, Weiss followed the huddling under the red mantle ravenette to the exit. True to Ruby's word, they found their teammates just outside the tent, chatting with Coco and Velvet; seeing the two of them walking out of the marquee, their friends waved them hello, all of them looking the worse for wear.

"Damn. You two look terrible," Yang quipped as Ruby and Weiss aproached, herself being a far cry from well-rested.

Hearing that taunt, Weiss smirked with a playful twinkle in her eyes; although still fairly sleepy, she had been sobered enough by the chilly air to be able to retort without missing a single beat. "And you look almost as bad as I'm feeling at the moment, which, believe me, is an achievement" she paused briefly, throwing in a yawn for good measure, "in and of itself."

Yang chuckled, showing her teeth in a weary grin. She seemed relieved, for some reason, and it made the heiress wonder whether the blonde's teasing was, perchance, an attempt to gauge Weiss' mood after the last night.

"Yeah, I'm beat; been awake the whole damned night," Yang said, rubbing her neck. "Take _all_ of my regrets."

Having heard the part about the alleged regrets, the girl in the wheelchair placed her hand over her heart and shot Yang a theatrically hurt look. "Hun, you wound me. Would you rather have napped than spent some quality time with _me?_ Unbelievable." After a brief while, Coco dropped her melodramatic mask and quickly grabbed the Scroll lying in her lap, then opened it and checked the hour, frowning a bit after doing so. "Anyhoo, we _really_ should get going now. I know that the four of you are taking a later flight, but ours is in eighteen minutes." With that, Coco began to slowly drive away in her wheelchair, giving the rest of the group a cue to follow.

"What about Fox and Yatsu?" Ruby asked, seeing that neither of the two was to be seen around.

Coco turned in her chair as to look at the girl in red. "Oh, guys? They went ahead, taking our luggage. Jaune and the rest of the dorks tagged along."

And so their party of six traversed the campus grounds, dropping by the dorms so Ruby and her team could retrieve their belongings from their old room. Fairly drained after the last night, they chatted lazily on their way to the landing zone, their discourse lacking its usual energy, with periods of comfortable silence separating one exchange from another. Although initially active, Weiss slowly grew more and more detached from the conversation, her attention drifting away as she was getting absorbed in her thoughts.

The more she pondered on it, the more she felt there was something unsettling about her last night's dream. It had been... _different –_ clearer, almost tangible, a mix of a surprisingly believable scenario with a dreamscape just as unusual; then, when it ultimately had come to pass upon waking up, it had left the heiress with a perplexing sense of déjà vu. Logically, she figured it was nothing more than her brain projecting what she knew onto her dreams, letting her imagination – and her fears – to fill in the gaps. Still, she was growing anxious, as if worried that there was something more to what she had dreamt of, or afraid that it was truer to what had really happened than she'd like it to; learning from Jaune that the tune she had heard in her dream a few days prior was the very same piece as the song Ruby had sung by her bedside did not help the matters, even if there was something truly heartmelting about the idea that the girl's voice had reached Weiss' unconscious mind.

She just couldn't shake off the feeling that all of the dreams she had had lately were somehow connected, and that she was missing something; then again, she reasoned she was simply being paranoid after she had recognized the melody that Jaune, unable to recall the exact lyrics of Ruby's song, had hummed. She was well aware that she was being silly, fretting over nothing, but the sensation persisted nonetheless.

Eventually, their group arrived at their destination, just in time to see one of the airships approaching the landing zone. The others – Jaune, Sun, and their teams, along with Fox and Yatsuashi - were already there, picking up their luggage from the ground and preparing to board the ship.

Coco once again checked the hour, then eyed the advancing vessel briefly. "That's our ride alright. Seems we're not late, after all... bummer." She glanced at Ruby and smirked seeing the girl's slightly confused expression. "I was kinda looking forward to that drink you'd have to buy me if we missed the flight because we've waited for your team."

"You know I'm still a minor, right?"

Coco grinned. "That'd be a part of the fun," she said with a wink, then smiled and opened her arms – an invitation Ruby gladly accepted. When the silver-eyed girl released her from the hug, Coco reached up and ruffled Ruby's hair, adding: "See you around, kid."

After hugging both Coco and Velvet, Ruby trotted off to say goodbye to the others, with Yang and Weiss following suit shortly after; Blake was the last one to approach the two senior girls.

While Velvet was being held in cat Faunus' embrace, Coco was peeked over her aviator sunglasses, watching a certain duo from afar with a soft smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Keep us posted on any developments between those two dorks of yours, would ya, dear?" she asked, turning her eyes towards Blake.

The Faunus in question let out a short laugh, then, having pulled away from Velvet, threw a brief glance over her shoulder to look at Ruby and Weiss. "Sure. Have a nice trip, girls. And good luck with the rehab."

Coco smiled wryly at the mention of rehabilitation, but nodded her head nonetheless. "Yeah... thanks."

Eventually, all the goodbyes were said and all the hugs were given, and the time had come for the most to board the airship; only Ruby and her team were going to remain on the landing platform, their direct flight to Patch scheduled ten minutes later. Seconds before Velvet was about to enter the vessel, Blake sent her a short text; the moment the girl had read the message, her head snapped towards the cat Faunus, Velvet's cheeks practically set aflame and her rabbit ears standing nigh perfectly upright. Seeing that look of embarassment she was given, Blake just waved at her friend good-naturedly with a smile of pure innocence on her lips, somehow – but not without a great effort – managing to keep her face straight; only after the rabbit Faunus had disappeared deep within the ship did Blake let out a self-satisfied chuckle. She always had fun messing with Velvet; besides, she truly meant what she had written. Shooting a brief glance at the message she had sent, Blake closed her Scroll shut and put it back in a pocket of her coat.

It read _'I'm expecting updates on your own endeavors, too, Velv. Best of luck.'_

Before long, the airship took off towards the city of Vale with everyone on board, its passengers waved off by Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang, who all watched from the edge of a cliff as the aircraft drew further and further away from Beacon, slowly turning into a mere shiny dot in the morning sky. After a while, Ruby and Blake walked to the nearest bench and sat there, leaving Yang and Weiss alone near the brink of the landing platform. A soft breeze was in the air, one which Weiss found herself enjoying once her body got used to the temperature outside; not talking much with her blonde teammate, she focused on her breathing, taking steady, deep breaths – something she had made a part of her daily routine lately, just as doctor Grapes had recommended her to do.

A few minutes had passed and, eventually, the airship that would take them to Patch appeared in the sky. Still, even though the hour of their departure was drawing near, Taiyang, for whom the girls were supposed to wait at the landing zone, was nowhere in sight.

Seeing this, Weiss turned to her blonde teammate, who had been standing next to her for the past few minutes, looking into the distance. "Hey, Yang... where is your dad? Weren't we supposed to meet with him here?"

Yang jumped a bit at the sound of Weiss' voice, apparently having been deep in thought. "Huh? Oh, yeah, but something came up at Signal, so he went to Patch two days ago. He'll be waiting for us at home."

Weiss simply nodded in acknowledgement, falling silent for a brief while before once again looking at the blonde with a sly smile. "Speaking of parents... when are you going to Blake's?"

Yang blinked in surprise, as if not expecting such a question, then glanced to the side, her left hand disappearing within her blonde mane. "Well, uh... in ten hours or so? The moment we get home, me and Blake are going to hit the bed and try to get some sleep before going to visit 'em. I asked dad to pack a few things for us in advance, so it won't take us long to prepare." Seeing the surprised look she was given, she smiled apolegetically. "Sorry for keeping you out of the loop, I kinda forgot you weren't around back when we've told Ruby."

Weiss waved her hand dismissively. "It's alright, I just didn't think you'd leave so soon. Tomorrow, maybe, but not sooner."

Yang cracked a toothy grin, wrapping her arm around Weiss' shoulder and leaning in a bit. "Well, look at it this way: starting today, you'll have Ruby all to yourself for a whole... long... week," she said, outstretching her other arm as if showing the heiress a whole realm of new possibilities, the blonde's theatrics earning her a well-deserved eyeroll from Weiss.

After a short while, something seemed to have clicked in the heiress' mind. "Wait. What about your father?"

"Oh, yeah, I suppose you might need to share with him from time to time," Yang conceded lightheartedly, chuckling at the sight of the long, unamused look given to her by Weiss, who had just barely stopped herself from throwing a quick elbow jab at the blonde's ribs. "In all seriousness though, something's telling me you won't be seeing him around all that much. Work and stuff."

"I see."

With her arm still around Weiss' shoulder, Yang cast her gaze down, a moment of awkward silence following while the girl was searching for words; after a few seconds, she finally spoke up. "So, yeah... just wanted you to know that I'm really glad you're staying with us. Not just because Ru won't be left out when me and Blake are doing whatever it is that couples usually do – though I gotta admit, you certainly made things easier for us when you accepted dad's invitation. Made Ruby's day, too." Having said that, Yang looked up at Weiss, a brief, warm smile appearing on her face before her expression shifted into a more serious one. " _None_ _of us_ should be left alone after all that shit. Now we at least won't have to worry about you driving yourself up the wall, with no-one around to keep you sane."

"Thanks," Weiss replied with corners of her mouth pointing marginally upwards, deeply grateful but not really knowing what else to say; then again, maybe there was nothing that needed to be said.

* * *

Upon boarding their airship once it had arrived, none of the girls took their seats outright; instead, they stopped by one of the vessel's big windows, standing arm in arm and watching wistfully as Beacon was becoming progressively smaller and smaller with each passing moment, a lone warden overseeing the sparkling river hundreds of feet below. There was some peculiar finality to that sight, a strange sense of relief, as if they had finally closed a certain troubling chapter of their lives, leaving behind not only their school, but also some of the pain and burdens the past two years had wrought. There was some sadness to it, but it was pure, devoid of bitterness; true, they parted ways with their friends and their beloved Academy, but it would only be temporary – they'd return to them, in time. Right then, however, the were finally truly liberated, free to take a breath, tend to their wounds and pick up the pieces of their once shattered lives – together.

 _'It's not exactly a fresh start,'_ Ruby mused, taking in the sight of the morning sun rising behind the Beacon Tower, ' _but it sure feels like a new beginning.'_ With her hand in the pocket of her hoodie, she was tracing the edge of a piece of stiff paper with her thumb, thinking of all the battles they were yet to have, mostly of those that they would have to wage against their own selves.

Not all their problems were gone; the Remnant would still need them, and their road to recovery was probably going to be long and sometimes trying, but, for now, Ruby figured she should try not to dwell too much on these problems and the past, and looked forward to what the future would bring.

After all, when one thing ends, the other begins. And she sure hoped it'd be something good.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So, uh... hi. It's been a while, huh?

Sorry about the long radio silence; first I've been trapped within an exam limbo for about a month, then I've been sick, then I've had some catching up to do... yeaaaah, long story short, real life happened. The fact that two paragraphs were _a bitch_ to write didn't help, either. But hey, it's finally here.

Do you remember how I said that "Save Her" would be the last chapter of the "Beacon Arc"? Well, let's just say that "Parting" has ever so slightly spun out of control, and the initial two scenes turned out to be _far_ longer than I originally intended; no regrets, I guess, but I ended up moving the actual post-Beacon stuff to the next chapter.

A bit of heads up: my finals are coming up in less than two months, so it's hard for me to say at the moment when am I going to release the next chapter; _hopefully_ within a month, but I can't say for sure. Besides, you know me - I'm a wildcard when it comes to releases.

Anyways, thank you all for reading, for motivating me with your follows, faves and reviews; I hope you've all enjoyed this little update, and that I'll see you next chapter!


	13. Home

_**Chapter XII: Home**_

The sweet song of the few birds that were yet to migrate to Vacuo echoed amongst the foliage as the girls strolled under the canopy of red, brown and gold. They were in the picteresque forest on the outskirts of the town of Patch, venturing deeper into the autumn woods as they walked down the well-beaten track littered with fallen leaves. They didn't talk much walking onwards, captured by the serene beauty that had them surrounded; instead, they simply listened, to nature and to their own thoughts, still trying to wrap their minds around the idea of finally returning home.

Ruby marched by her partner's side, bright-eyed, looking around the familar landscape of her childhood with an expression of pure, innocent happiness gracing her features. Weiss found herself smiling wistfully at that sight, reminded of that carefree, spirited girl she had gotten to know at Beacon nigh three years prior. It was a distant echo of the long gone, happier times, something that caused the heiress to realize just how badly she had missed that look on her friend's face, that bright, contagious energy not stifled by worries and the weight of the whole world. Now, with the immediate danger gone and no need for them to fear the impending doom, Weiss hoped that they'd all finally find their peace, and that one day her partner's smiles would once again be free of the taint of long years of anxieties and trauma. ' _Let's just rest for now, Ruby. Let's take our time. After all, they say that enough time can mend great many th_ _ings.'_ As Weiss thought that to herself, Ruby's wandering gaze ended up turning towards her. Curious, the silver-eyed girl simply raised one of her eyebrows with amiable interest, silently asking the heiress what was on her mind. A playful eyeroll was the only response Ruby was given before her partner sheepishly broke their eye contact, visibly embarrassed to be caught staring; nonetheless, the gentle smile that had been gracing Weiss' lips for the past while did not disappear. _'And as it happens, we have all the time in the world.'_

Eventually, more and more sunlight would start reaching them from between the trunks of the trees to their left, heralding the presence of a nearby glade. With each step that carried the girls towards the edge of the woods, the distant, dull sound of the rhythmical hammering they had been hearing for the past while grew louder and louder, echoing in the forest. After a while, they all began catching glimpses of a building on the other side of the thicket, and pretty soon, once their path had taken one last turn, the familiar, welcoming sight of the Xiao Long-Rose household came into full view, along with the entirety of its scenic grounds.

As it turned out, Taiyang himself had been the source of the noise that had accompanied the girls on their way through the forest; the man, armed with a small hammer and, presumably, a set of nails, was crouched atop the roof over the porch than ran along the left side of the building, seemingly busied with some repairs. After every few strikes, he would pause his work to reach for one of the nails he held between his lips, then get back to work, completely unaware that the guests had already arrived.

Yang slowed down a notch and smirked slightly, then raised both of her hands to her mouth and shouted through the makeshift megaphone. "Yo, dad!"

The hammer, already primed for another strike, was frozen in place at the sound of the girl's voice, temporarily left forgotten in Taiyang's grip as the man's head snapped to look at the visitors. Seeing both his daughters waving at him in the distance, the man waved back, promptly laying his tools aside and tearing his working gloves off his hands, then casually jumped off the porch and headed in the girls' direction to meet them halfway, his face cracked into a wide grin.

While both Ruby and Yang sped up their pace a bit, their respective partners lagged a few steps behing them, silently watching as the siblings practically threw themselves into their father's arms, their shared momentum pushing Tai a step back and nearly tackling the man to the ground... which might or might not have been the girls' intention all along. The Huntsman, laughing, stood his ground quite admirably, managing to stay upright with both of his daughters hanging by his neck, their feet dangling in the air. The three of them remained like that for a while, before Taiyang eventually set the girls on the ground and pulled away, looking at his children with a toothy smile. "Welcome back, girls."

Those words seemed to have struck a chord within Ruby, sending a shiver down her spine; combined with the sight of the house towering over her, it was as if someone had pinched her - yet another reminder that all of this was indeed real, even if she still somewhat struggled to believe she'd made it home. With her gaze turned towards the house, she stayed silent for a while, traces of a relieved, if a bit tired, smile present on her lips. "Yeah," she aired quietly.

The girl's reaction having not gone unnoticed, Tai squeezed Ruby's shoulder before eventually turning to address the guests. " _So_ , Weiss, Blake..." he started, grinning in his usual, easygoing manner as he looked at the two, "I hope you'll feel right at home."

"I'm fairly sure we will. Thank you for having us," Weiss replied, then, together with Blake, she directed a small bow of her head towards Taiyang, who simply chuckled and waved his hand dismissively, signaling that it was no big deal, and that there was nothing to thank him for.

"So, what's up with the porch?" Yang questioned, gesturing with her head towards the aforementioned part of the house.

Prying his eyes away from the two guests, Tai followed his daughter's gaze. "Oh. Seems that when we've been fighting in Vale, some a-hole Grimm decided to walk _over_ our house instead of going around. Some roof tiles have been damaged, some loosened... nothing too major, but it appears that the roof has been leaking here and there when it rained a few days back. Figured I'd take care of that before it becomes an issue."

Yang nodded in understanding, or perhaps acknowledgement; although she was still looking at the porch, her stare seemed distant and distracted, as if her thoughts had already drifted away from the discussed matter. "Probably a good idea, but... could that wait until Blake and I are gone? We wanna get some rest before leaving."

Taiyang looked his daughter up and down, pausing for a bit on the dark circles around Yang's slightly bloodshot eyes and her unusually slumped shoulders. "A long night, huh? Sure, nap away – the roof can wait for a bit." Then, his lips curled into a smirk. "And we wouldn't want you falling flat on your face right in front of Blake's parents, now, would we? I mean, you're probably going to have a hard time trying not to embarass yourself as it is."

Yang let out a short, breathy laugh, slapping her old man on the shoulder. "Jerk. Thanks, though." She turned to her snickering comrades, shooting them a half-hearted glare before gesturing towards the front entrance. "Come."

The moment Yang pushed the door open, she also unleashed the happily barking embodiment of energy that had lurked beyond; freed, the creature assaulted its liberator, bouncing up and down on its rear legs as it asked for the attention it deserved.

Yang scratched the pooch behind his ear, chuckling softly. "Hi there, Zwei. We're back."

As the blonde had eventually ceased her ministrations, Zwei's beady eyes set on Weiss, marking her as the next target. Seemingly delighted to see her favourite mangy, drooling mutt in the whole of Remnant heading her way, Weiss brought one of her knees to the ground, welcoming the dog in her arms.

"If it isn't my _favourite, most_ _adorable_ little... ow!" Weiss yelped in surprise when Zwei briefly licked her cheek, then she giggled to herself once her initial bewilderment had passed. "You...!" she started, failing miserably in her endeavor to appear angry.

"Aww. Seems he's missed you," Ruby spoke, leaning down right next to Weiss, then laughed softly when her words were met with an affirmative bark on Zwei's part. "See? Told you."

Once Ruby's hand stopped scratching the underside of the dog's jaw, Zwei flopped onto his back, his bobbed tail starting to wag happily as Weiss - not wanting to miss out on an opportunity - proceeded to rub the pooch's belly.

"I really can't comprehend how you can possibly look at him and not think that he's completely, _utterly_ adorable, Blake," she mused out loud, all the while giving Zwei her full attention. Eventually, prompted by the appearance of the short, repeating snorts of poorly supressed laughter coming from both Ruby and Yang, Weiss pried her eyes away from the corgi, curious as to what her teammates had found so funny about what she'd said. It became quite clear the moment she looked up, as Blake – who had been standing right beside Yang but a moment ago, next to the door – was nowhere to be seen, apparently having taken advantage of the distraction to inconspicuously slip inside the building. "Blake, Blake..." Weiss hummed, shaking her head hopelessly.

"She really hasn't gotten any better with dogs since the last visit, has she?" Tai asked, clearly quite entertained, neither directing his question at someone in particular nor expecting an answer. Nonetheless, a short, cheerful 'nope' came from Yang in response to his query, then, fixing the straps of the duffel bag she carried over her shoulder, the girl went after her partner and crossed the doorstep.

Ruby watched her sister disappear within the house, her gaze still lingering on the doorway for a few moments after she'd lost Yang from her sight. The curve of the girl's lips formed a tiny little smirk. "Eh, I'd say she's getting there. You should've seen her back when we had Zwei staying with us at Beacon."

That remark seemed to have piqued Taiyang's interest. "Was it that bad?"

Ruby grinned. "No; it was _hilarious_. Maybe we'll tell you about it later." Somewhat amused by Taiyang's bummed expression, she turned towards Weiss. "Come, let's get our things upstairs."

Having given the dog one last rub, Weiss stood up and went after Ruby as the girl headed inside, Zwei trotting happily right behind the heiress. "Lead the way."

Sunlight was seeping in through the eastward windows as Weiss entered the familiar, spacious living room, the soft notes of a song playing on the radio bleeding inside through the half-closed door that led to the kitchen. Taking in her surroundings, she mimicked her partner's footsteps and circled the couch, then followed Ruby up the stairs; halfway up, when they were about to take the turn, they caught a glimpse of a black mane a moment before the entrance to the bathroom was closed shut. Once they reached the upper floor, Ruby took the right corner and walked down a rather short corridor, then opened the door to her left and marched inside, casually throwing her backpack onto her bed as she went in. Ignoring the thump said backpack had made upon tumbling off the mattress and onto the floor, the ravenette turned to face Weiss, drawing her in with a bright smile.

"Make yourself at home, Weiss."

Their sleeping arangements were going to be the same as they had been during Weiss' last visit, back when the team had been staying at Ruby and Yang's, waiting for about a week while the forces of Huntsmen had been getting ready for the reclamation of Beacon. Weiss and Ruby would live in the room the Dolt used to share with her sister, while Yang and Blake, more than happy to sleep in the same bed, were going to stay in the guest room. It was something that was settled on completely unanimously a few days prior, with none of the girls having any qualms about the decision.

Slipping the straps of her own backpack off her shoulders, Weiss took a look around. Just about everything she saw was exactly the same as she and Ruby had left it when their team had gone to join the battle of Beacon Tower - the same beds, the same curtains, the same books and Grimm figurines filling up the same shelves... or at least so she thought, until she noticed that once-yellow pillowcases decorating Yang's old bed were now of pale blue – Weiss' favourite colour – with a matching throw blanket to accompany them. A soft smile bloomed on her lips at that sight, while a warm, fuzzy feeling swelled in her chest. Her eyes flicked towards Ruby - the likely orchestrator of that change - who was sitting on the other bed; although the scythe-wielder seemed to be focused on undoing the clasps fastening her combat boots, Weiss could have sworn that she'd seen Ruby look away the moment she had turned her gaze in the girl's direction. There were also other signs, the little things that most would've likely missed, like that faint, pleased twinkle in those silver eyes that seemed to be purposefully avoiding Weiss', or the slightly deeper shadow hiding in the left corner of Ruby's mouth. If the heiress was to risk a guess, she'd be inclined to assume that while the covers themselves must have been changed by Taiyang, it was Ruby who thought of it and asked him to do that, wanting Weiss to feel welcomed – to that end, the Dolt had certainly succeeded.

Placing her backpack against the footboard of her bed, the heiress sat on the edge of the mattress and took a moment to contemplate her surroundings. During Weiss' previous visit, Ruby had apologised for her room not being 'anything special', but Weiss actually had liked it there – she still did, in fact. While Ruby's bedroom could not possibly compete with the one Weiss had back at the Schnee Manor in terms of fancy furniture and general grandeur, it had something that the Manor, despite being an architectural marvel, had sorely lacked: a soul. The deafening silence was not permeating the air within, nor did that room invoke the feelings of being overwhelmed, trapped or lonely; instead, this place was the exact opposite - bright, warm and inviting, just like the rest of the house... and the people who lived therein.

With both of her feet freed from the restraints of her boots, Ruby flopped onto her mattress, letting out a rather peculiar sound that placed somewhere between a groan and a contented sigh. She remained like that for a while, lying across her bed and staring at the sloped ceiling she knew so well, not saying a word and letting the comfortable silence to briefly take control of the room. After about half a minute, Zwei hopped onto the bed and wobbled to her side, watching her for a bit before he nudged her cheek with his snout.

Ruby giggled under her breath. "Yeah, you're probably right. I better get up before I get too comfortable and doze off." She stretched and reached behind herself, her hand searching blindly for something off the side of the bed; after a brief moment, she eventually felt out what she was looking for and hauled her knapsack back onto the mattress. She lifted her legs up in the air, then quickly brought them back down, using their momentum to sit up; having done that, the girl ruffled Zwei's fur, then rummaged through the contents of her backpack, eventually fishing out a change of clothes and standing up in order to undress.

Seeing that Ruby had already discarded her hoodie and was about halfway through unbuttoning her shirt, the heiress tactfully averted her eyes, focusing her full attention on the screen of her Scroll. It wasn't long before her ears told Weiss that it should be safe to look, and, indeed, a quick glance confirmed that assumption; now dressed in a beige off-the-shoulder tee with loose, elbow-length sleeves and a pair of dark gray sweatpants, Ruby stood by her bed, her back turned to Weiss as she drank from a bottle of water she'd pulled out from her backpack. Once she had her fill, Ruby turned slightly, putting the bottle's lid back on as she looked at her partner.

Noticing that Weiss did not seem to plan on changing outfits, she raised one of her eyebrows and asked: "Aren't you gonna change into something more... well, casual?"

Weiss, propping herself on her hands, leaned back on her bed and chuckled softly, cocking her head to the side with playful sparks twinkling in her eyes. "Ruby, when was the last time you saw me wear anything 'casual'?"

Ruby laughed at that and facepalmed, as if she just remembered who she was talking to. "Probably the last time you borrowed one of my hoodies. Why did I even ask..." she mused out loud, shaking her head. Then, as if having noticed something, she turned her eyes towards the left-open entrance to her room and spoke: "'Night, Blake."

Following her leader's gaze, Weiss realized that Blake was standing in the corridor, the girl's hand wrapped around the handle of the door opposite to Ruby's. With her face turned towards her teammates, the amber-eyed girl gave the pair a tired, friendly smile.

"See you guys later."

"Sleep well," the heiress said, watching as Blake turned the doorknob and quietly slipped into the spare bedroom.

Shortly after Blake had disappeared behind the closed door, Ruby tossed her water back into her rucksack, then approached the dresser standing at the foot of Weiss' bed and opened the upper drawer, examining its contents. "Alright, I should be able to fix you up with something. Let's see..."

Weiss blinked, needing half a second to process what her partner was going on about. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came forth; before she could say that there was absolutely no need for Ruby to find her something to wear, the girl had already started browsing the drawer, various articles of clothing passing through her hands as she dutifully searched for something that would suit Weiss. While the heiress was not exactly _opposed_ to the idea, she didn't want to inconvenience her friend and host any further... _'Then again'_ , she mused, _'Ruby would probably just laugh at me if I ever suggested that I'm being a bother now_.' Having noticed that the girl seemed to be somewhat enthusiastic in her endeavors, Weiss sighed in surrender and just smiled fondly, opting to let her partner carry on; if Ruby was fine with it, then so was she. After all, it wasn't that she _disliked_ casual clothes - while it was true that she herself owned no such outfits outside of her nightwear, it was not a sign of some aversion, but merely a habit borne of the fact that her family's manor was not the most adequate environment to wear such clothes. More recently, the size of her luggage had also been something she had to consider, as there were only so many things she could carry with her while her team had been on the constant run, never staying in the same place for long; as such, she had limited her wardrobe to her underwear and a few outfits that were suitable for travel and combat, yet still somewhat elegant – one of them now ruined with blood and torn to shreds. At the end of the day, she could always count on one of her teammates to readily borrow her something if the need arose – most often Ruby, as she was the one closest in size.

After a while of flipping through the contents of the drawer, Ruby let out a small little 'oh' and picked up something dark-gray in colour, letting the bundle unravel into a pullover as she brought it to her eye level for further examination. What expression was painted on the face hidden behind the fabric, Weiss could not tell, but, judging by the satisfied little hum that came from the other side, it seemed that Ruby's tireless search was over. "Yeah... this should work nicely." The silver-eyed girl hastily folded the sweater, then used one of her hands to pull out a pair of ashen leggings from the dresser. Placing one atop the other, she held the package out for Weiss to take, her lips curved into a smile that was part confident, part encouraging. "Here."

"You do know that you didn't have to do that, right?" the heiress asked half-jokingly, taking the bundle from her partner's grasp.

Ruby rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Oh, shut it." She approached her own bed and gathered her discarded clothes up into a heap in her arms, then skipped towards the exit and, grasping the doorknob, glanced at Weiss. "I'll let you get changed. Just call if you need anything." With that, she stepped outside, closing the door as she went.

Weiss' gaze lingered for a moment where her partner had disappeared, before shifting towards the bundle she was holding in her hands. "Well, let's see..." she murmured and stood up, spreading out the clothes on her bed as to take a better look at them. After a brief while of visual examination, the heiress chuckled to herself, taking notice of the wreath of roses and thorns wrapped around the cuffs of the shoulderless turtleneck her friend had given her. She liked it; the embroidery was pleasing to the eye, well crafted, and – perhaps most notably – distinctly, endearingly _Rub_ _y_. "It's hers alright."

Starting off with her tiara, Weiss began undressing, taking off one piece of her outfit after another until she was clad in nothing but her underwear. With her clothes out of the way, her eyes unwittingly wandered towards her stomach, a wave of unease washing over her as she stared at the dressing covering the cuts on her abdomen. Considering that she already had her stitches removed, it wasn't necessary for Weiss to keep the wound dressed, but she wanted to try out the ointment dr Grapes had recommended her; the cloth was there just to keep the medicine in place, fixed to her skin with tape. Thankfully, she no longer had to use bandages, and thus no longer had to be a bother and ask Ruby for assistance with redressing the injury. With nothing to lose but some Lien, Weiss was somewhat optimistic; still, a small part of her mind dreaded the day the time would come for her to finally stop applying the salve, and to accept whatever she'd find beneath the dressing.

Sighing heavily, the heiress pried her eyes away from her midriff, then grabbed Ruby's sweater and took a dive inside. Eventually, after accidentally putting one of her hands through the cut-out supposed to show off her shoulder, Weiss managed to navigate the pullover's interior and found her way out, her head popping out on the other side with a soft crackle of static. She pulled her ponytail, freeing it from the clutches of the tightly-fitting collar where it had gotten stuck, then, tugging softly at the hem and sleeves, she smoothed out the sweater's various creases, pondering on her initial impressions. With its cuffs sliding down onto her hands, the pullover was admittedly a tiny bit too long – either by design or by Weiss' virtue of being on the short side – but not to the point of it being an issue; it was fluffy and somewhat snug, but not unpleasantly so, being generally quite comfortable to wear and move around in, not giving Weiss any good reason to complain about her partner's choice. The heiress brought her hands to her face and sniffed the material of the cuffs, smiling unwittingly when she sensed the same, familiar scent she thought she had smelled while putting the sweater on – roses.

She had always liked it, that sweet yet subtle fragrance of those gorgeous white flowers that bloomed in Schnee Manor, breathing some life into that magnificent but otherwise unwelcoming manshion. They had been poor things, those flowers... nothing more than an asset to her father, to whom beauty had held no value other than the ways in which he could use it; they had been there not to reach their full potential, but to be perfect, to please visitors' eyes and to show off her family's wealth, or maybe to be handed as a gift to win somebody over. The bushes would have been trimmed and molded to suit Jacques' needs, and unruly branches had been to be culled and gotten rid off. Weiss had pitied those flowers, much in the same way she had pitied her own self... and yet, she had found some solace in the notion that even though the roses had grown in that cold, loveless environment and were covered with thorns, there still had been true beauty and strength to be found in them for those who cared to look.

As the water in the river of time had flown downstream, the smell of roses had slowly changed its meaning to Weiss, just as the heiress herself had changed; it had expanded and gained nuance, becoming dearer to her than ever before. It had given her headaches, but also filled her days with laughter and cameraderie she'd never known before, ushering her life into a new age. Then, after the world had gone mad and Weiss' life once again slipped into the cold darkness, that same scent had kept reminding her of all those things she'd experienced with her friends, giving her the strength to fight back against despair and to _break free_. It was the smell of a warm embrace, of a safe haven for the weary, of a place where she was accepted and prized for who she really was, not for her name nor influence – the smell of _home_. Her team, with Ruby Rose at its heart, was where she belonged; no matter where they'd gone or how uncertain the tomorrow had been, there was no other place any of the girls would rather be – in each other's care was their quiet shelter, where all their tears would be dried.

With her delicate smile still lingering on her lips, Weiss finished dressing up and made her way to the mirror, her feet, clad in a pair of fresh ankle socks she'd taken from her backpack, sliding slightly on the smooth, wooden floor. Faced with her reflection, she stared silently at the other Weiss, taking in the sight of the rather uncharacteristic for the heiress outfit; oddly enough, though she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit out of her element, the clothes Ruby had provided her with seemed to actually suit Weiss fairly well – comfortable yet still somewhat stylish, they were a testimony to Ruby's taste, perfect for cozying oneself up in front of a fireplace on chilly, autumn nights. She could easily envision herself doing just that – spending the evening by the fireside in pleasant company, with a cup of good coffee warming her hands.

Judging herself presentable, Weiss stepped away from the mirror and approached the entrance to the room, about to let her partner in. When her fingertips touched the doorknob, she hesitated for a heartbeat, but then quickly recovered, ignoring her sudden bout of nervousness and pushing the door open. Ruby had been waiting right outside, leaning her back against the wall by the doorframe and browsing the web on her Scroll; the moment the girl heard the soft squeak of the hinges, she turned towards the source of the noise, a wide grin blooming on her face when she laid her eyes on the heiress. Just as Weiss retreated deeper into the room, Ruby walked inside, giving her partner a good, long look, secretly enjoying how the usually composed white-haired girl fidgeted under her careful scrutiny. She circled the heiress like a wolf would its prey, wordlessly checking her out from all sides while Weiss waited for the verdict, trying to stand still with her right hand inadvertently gripping her other arm.

When Ruby stepped behind her, disappearing from her peripheral vision, Weiss managed to find her own voice. "So, um... how do I look?"

A soft hum of amusement could be heard in the room. "Unusual, that's for sure... but _definitely_ not in a bad way," Ruby assured, seemingly truthful, coming to a halt in front of Weiss after having turned the full circle. She cocked her head to the side and looked at her partner for a second, before adding: "I can think of one improvement, however."

"What is it?" the heiress asked, arching her eyebrow.

Ruby smiled slyly. "I believe it'll be easier to go with the 'show, don't tell' rule. May I?" Having gotten a wary permission in form of a single nod, the girl grinned and once again disappeared behind Weiss. A moment later, the heiress felt nimble fingers tug gingerly at the base of her bun tail, carefully undoing the knot keeping the whole thing together; before long, it gave way to Ruby's gentle touch, letting Weiss' alabaster mane flow freely down the heiress' back. With the deed already done, Ruby grabbed her partner by her arms and turned the girl towards the mirror, peeking over Weiss' shoulder as to see the heiress' reflection. "Yup, perfect," she assessed, visibly satisfied with the outcome. "What do you think?"

There was a pang of uneasiness when Weiss looked at herself in the mirror; without her asymmetrical ponytail drawing one's attention away from the scar across her left eye, she felt... exposed, for the lack of a better term. Her hand moved up as on instinct, only to freeze in place the moment the heiress saw the expression of regret slowly settling on Ruby's face. Cursing internally her insecurity, Weiss fought off the urge to touch her marred cheek; she was amongst her friends – no, her _family_ – and needed not to hide anything. With that thought in her mind, she relaxed a bit, trying to see the whole picture painted by the mirror in front of her instead of focusing on a single imperfection.

"It certainly is different, no arguments there," she said eventually. She was so accustomed to her usual hairstyle, hardly ever leaving her mane unchecked outside of bedtime, that seeing herself with her hair down felt actually kind of _weird_. She looked alright, just... foreignly informal, like someone who needed not to worry about their status nor keeping up the pretenses, someone who had cast their inhibitations aside, having no reason to fear expressing themselves freely. Surprisingly enough, a soft smile soon returned to Weiss' face; under different circumstances, she'd undoubtedly have plenty of reservations, but, right then and there, she couldn't help but wonder if letting her guard down just for a while would really be that bad. "Maybe I could even get used to that."

Ruby, who seemed to have sensed Weiss' earlier disquietedness and possibly even knew its reason, eased up a bit after those words. She mustered a smirk, though the concern did not leave her eyes completely. "I'd say that this style really works out for you. You look kinda cute." A happy little bark resounded in the room, backing up the girl's statement and causing Ruby to let out a short giggle. "Even Zwei agrees."

There was honesty to Ruby's voice that caused some healthy rosiness to appear on Weiss' cheeks in response to the praise. "Thanks," the heiress replied quietly, glancing to the side, away from the pair of silver eyes looking at her from the mirror. After a while, she cast her gaze down and gripped the hem of her sweater, stretching the material a bit. "I probably should get some clothes like that for myself, shouldn't I."

Ruby let go of Weiss' shoulders and stepped to the side, plopping on her bed. "My wardrobe is at your disposal. That being said... yeah, it'd probably be for the best if you did just that. And, seeing that I grew up a bit these past two years, I suppose I could also look for something new for myself, too."

That reminded the heiress of a somewhat important matter. "Hey, would I be wrong to assume that you don't have any formal outfits at the moment?" she asked, her head swiveling to face her partner.

Ruby looked at the heiress quizzically, but answered nonetheless. "Well, my prom dress should be _somewhere_ in the house, but it might be a bit, uh..."

While Ruby was searching for the right words, a slightly mischievous smirk made itself present on Weiss' face. The heiress let out a thoughtful hum as her gaze roved up and down the scythe-wielder's attractive body, hovering for a while over the girl's hips and bust. " _Tight_ in places?"

Prompted by Weiss' highly suggestive stare, Ruby glanced down at her chest. "'Too small' would be what I was going for, but, yeah, I suppose that also works," Ruby deadpanned, then looked up at the heiress. Though the ravenette was able to maintain the eye contact, her cheeks were colored a light shade of pink, suggesting that Weiss' attempt at embarassing the girl hadn't been _entirely_ unsuccessful. "Why do you ask?"

"If we really are going to accept my mother's invitation for New Year's Eve, then you're going to need a proper dress," Weiss reminded, causing her partner to flop onto the bed with a groan. Not at all surprised that her words were met with a rather lukewarm reaction, she carried on. "Seeing that we'll be going shopping for clothes either way, we could also take care of our dresses for the ball."

Ruby sighed, lying flat on the mattress and staring at the ceiling. "I suppose... But don't even _think_ about talking me into wearing stilts _again._ I still remember the prom," she spoke, shooting Weiss - who was struggling to keep her amusement off her face - an accusatory glance. "Seriously, how comes you can fight in those things?"

"Practice," the heiress replied honestly. Such was the truth – she simply had had many years' worth of experience in wearing high heels, to the point where she'd gotten so proficient that even combat had mostly become a nonissue. Although the long marches of the past two years had taught the heiress to appreciate comfy, flat soles, she still preferred to wear heels unless faced with difficult terrain. "You'll come around eventually. You just need to get used to them. Think of it this way: it'll be easier the next time you wear heels."

Ruby propped herself on her elbow, threatening Weiss with her finger. " _Stop right there,_ miss. I'm not falling for that reasoning."

Weiss laughed, lifting both of her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll stop. For now," she stated, grinning in response to her friend's glare. She wasn't _actually_ trying to convince Ruby, merely messing with the girl – while it didn't bother her to be the shorter one by about half an inch in spite of high heels, she didn't necessarily want to further pronounce that height difference, either. "So, when would you like to go shopping?"

Ruby scratched the back of her head. "Tomorrow? I mean, in theory it's still fairly early, so we could go even now, but... well, I don't know about you, but I'm kinda beat after the last night."

"Yes, I'm not feeling like going anywhere today, either," Weiss conceded. "Honestly, I'd love nothing more than a long, nice shower followed by no less than ten hours spent in an actual bed. Then again, seeing that it's not even midday, it'd probably be a better idea to find something to occupy myself with until the evening comes..."

"Well then, if that's the case..." Ruby started, getting up from her bed, "what would you say to lazying on the couch and watching movies for the rest of the day? We have some serious catching up to do."

"Why not?" Weiss agreed easily, finding the prospect somewhat enticing. She strode towards the door, turning to face Ruby while crossing the treshold. "Before we begin, though – coffee. I'm in a dire need of caffeine if I am to last until the evening."

"Oh yes. You're not the only one," the other girl mumbled, stretching her back as she lazily followed the heiress out of the room. Zwei, noticing that the two were leaving, promptly hopped off the bed, skidding a bit on the floor as he took off after the girls.

* * *

Blake quietly slipped inside the spare bedroom, finding Yang already waiting for her in the bed. With her mane scattered haphazardly all over the pillow, the blonde was lying on her back, with one of her arms tucked under her head and the other – the prosthetic one - lying atop the blanket as she stared at the ceiling. Her previous outfit, now hanging off the backrest of a nearby chair, was traded for an orange tank top and, presumably, a pair of shorts hidden under the bedsheet. The moment she noticed Blake's arrival, she smiled at her girlfriend.

"When are you gonna stop avoiding my dog?"

"I just needed to go to the bathroom," Blake retorted, hiding behind a half-truth.

Yang laughed softly, seemingly not at all convinced. "Alright."

Blake approached the bag with her belongings, which she had left in the bedroom before heading to the toilet, then, pulling out her nightwear, she proceeded to undress. Under different circumstances, she might've entertained the idea of making a bit of a show for Yang, but right then, as tired as the both of them were after spending the whole night with Coco, she simply wanted to get under the blanket as soon as possible and cuddle with her girlfriend into oblivion. Once she had slipped into her a-size-too-big black t-shirt and a pair of black shorts, she neatly folded her clothes and placed them inside her bag. Ready for bed, she shifted her attention to Yang, only then realizing that the girl had returned to staring a hole through the ceiling, lying silently with a somewhat pensive expression painted on her face.

"What's with that look? Is something wrong?" Blake asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at Yang with a concerned frown.

"Nah. It's just... weird, y'kno, being back here. Lying in this bed, in this room, with my biggest worry being surviving a whole week with my girlfriend's parents," the blonde said, smiling wryly towards the end, her final remark getting a short giggle out of Blake. After a brief pause, her smile dissipated, and she continued. "Back at Beacon, with all those Huntsmen still running around, clearing out the city... I guess it just didn't sink in that the war is over. But now... now I'm back _home,_ and the realization just blows my mind. It almost feels as if the last two years were just some long, bad dream..." She lifted her prosthetic arm off her stomach and looked at it with a hint of wistfulness in her eyes, unawares of the pang of guilt Blake felt in her heart. "But I know they were not. And it makes me worried. Worried that it's now that we are falling asleep, dreaming and forgetting what the world is really like... and that the next time we wake up, it'll be just as ugly as it was during the Tournament."

Blake listened intently to every word; once her partner had finished, she remained silent for another while, considering her response before speaking. "I understand why you are worried... and, to be honest, you're not alone. But Ruby was right – we shouldn't let fear and paranoia to control us." Noticing the part-amused, part-incredulous look she was being given, the Faunus let out a soft laugh. "And yes, I _do_ know that's rich coming from me of all people," she admitted, "but the point still stands. I'm not saying that we should just forget everything that has happened, or that there's no need for us to stay vigilant; I'm just saying that we should feel free to enjoy the peace we've fought so hard for, without spending every waking hour worrying about a conflict that might not even happen in the upcoming century. Just as it's in our duty to protect Remnant, it's also our duty to make it a better, happier place – that appears to be the only way we can delay the coming of another Witch. And how are we supposed to spread hope, if there's no hope left in us?"

Yang stayed silent under her beloved's gaze, seemingly having no answer to the posed question. Blake let that silence linger for a while, then, fairly certain that the blonde was not going to speak up, she carried on.

"As for whether we are just dreaming right now or not... I don't know, Yang. I mean..." She paused and leant in, then, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her human ear, kissed the other girl sweetly and softly. What the kiss might have lacked in passion, it made up in the intensity of the feelings poured into it - though brief and featherlight, it filled Yang's chest with warmth and breathed true happiness into her being, putting her mind at ease and making the future look a bit less scary. Blake remained close even after their lips did eventually part; with her face mere inches away from her girlfriend's, she gazed lovingly into Yang's lilac eyes, stroking the blonde's cheek with her thumb. "That sure felt pretty real to me," she spoke with a smile, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But even if it is a dream... then what? We've got some time - _let's just dream_ , of all the good things that might be. We'll worry about punching our problems in the face when they show up."

A gust of warm air tickled Blake's face when the blonde let out a sigh. "Alright," Yang murmured. Then, a tiny smirk snuck onto her face. "Though I gotta admit, I don't quite follow how punching your parents is gonna help me."

Blake snorted with laughter. "Hush, smartass. Let's just go to sleep."

As Blake slipped under the blanket, Yang drew the curtain by the window, blocking up the sun and drowning the room in dusk. The two laid down beside one another, locked in an embrace; with their legs entwined and eyes closed, they stayed in each other's arms, waiting quietly for sleep to overcome them, bringing dreams of a better tomorrow.

* * *

Hours had passed and, eventually, the morning turned into afternoon. Ruby was in the kitchen, chatting with Weiss while making food for the other two members of the team, who were supposed to wake up around that time. Just when she was buttering another slice of bread, a very drowsy Faunus strolled sleepily into the kitchen, still dressed in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

"Hi guys," Blake greeted the girls groggily, then stiffled a yawn so mighty that it made her tear up. When she reopened her clenched eyelids, she was met with the sight of a silver-eyed angel offering her gifts of food, held out for her to take. "Is that for me?" Blake asked, her gaze zeroing in on the plate topped with a bunch of tasty-looking sandwiches that made her realize just how hungry she had been.

"That'd be why I'm holding it out in front of you, yes," the angel replied, somewhat amused. "I'd have whipped up something more filling, but I've figured you're probably gonna eat with your parents."

Blake accepted the plate with a smile of gratitude. "Aww, thanks. You're sweet."

"Don't mention it. Where's Yang?" Ruby questioned, resuming her preparation of the other serving.

"Upstairs, showering," was the Faunus girl's short answer. Placing her platter on the countertop, Blake started munching on her first sandwich.

Weiss, who had just finished making tea, looked at her amber-eyed teammate with a smirk on her lips. "And freaking out about going to your parents while she's at it?" she quipped, timing it perfectly with Blake taking another bite.

The Faunus laughed, almost choking on her food; she brought her free hand up, holding it a few inches below her chin in fear of something falling off her sandwich. Her frame shaking with mirth, she chewed cautiously, opting to wait for her fits of laughter to come to pass before she swallowed. "Quite possibly," she admitted eventually, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. "I don't get her. It's not like you guys have never met them. Hell, they _like her_. They just want to get to know her a bit better."

"Well, I suppose it just means that she cares what your family thinks of her," Weiss mused out loud, approaching Blake and handing the girl a cup of tea.

"Yeah, seems so. Thanks for the tea, Weiss."

Another ten or so minutes had passed amongst the casual chatter before Yang had shown up, walking into the kitchen with her hair wrapped in a towel. Though visibly tense, the blonde managed to eventually ease up a bit, calmed down by the pleasant buzz of a friendly conversation following its natural course. They did not focus on a single subject, the topic of their chat constantly shifting and changing, jumping between the things like their individual plans for the week, movie Ruby and Weiss had just watched, and so on. When the girls finished their lunch, Blake headed to take a shower, while Yang left Ruby and Weiss to their own devices and returned to her room in order to pack for the week. With each pair tending to their own business, the team did not reassemble until some time later, when they gathered in front of the house to say their goodbyes before Blake and Yang would leave for Vale.

"So, about my birthday..." Blake spoke up, figuring that it was high time she brought up the topic. "Should I mention to my parents that we'll be having two guests coming over?"

Ruby and Weiss exchanged meaningful glances, neither answering outright. "Actually..." Ruby started, "you see, we've been thinking. Would your folks mind if we just, uh, borrowed you for a few hours? We could go to a café and get ourselves something good, or maybe hang out in Vale, just the four of us... what do you think?"

Judging by Blake's expression, the girl seemed to like the idea quite a bit. "I'd like that. And don't worry about my mom and dad, they'll be fine."

Blake's question had reminded Weiss that she, too, had something she should mention. "Speaking of guests and parents... You see, my mother has invited our team to a New Year's Eve celebratory ball held at Schnee manor," the heiress declared, if not without some reluctance. One brief glance was enough to tell that the news caught both Yang and Blake completely off guard; clearly baffled, they looked at one another, as if searching on the other's face for a proof that their ears had not deceived them. Finding such a proof quite easily, they both dedicated Weiss their full, undivided attention. "I can't say I'm too enthusiastic about the prospect, but a _certain someone_ has told me that if my mother is actively trying to rebuild some old bridges, then she may deserve being given a chance. So I'm considering taking up on the offer, as long as the three of you would be willing to accompany me."

Yang and Blake looked at each other once again, then back at the heiress. The blonde was the first one to speak, though she still did appear to be quite stunned. "Hell yes?"

"Are you sure?" Weiss questioned, quirking her eyebrow. "It's going to be far more formal and 'fancy' than our prom back at Beacon."

Yang rolled her eyes in mild exasperation. "Well, _duh_. That much was obvious."

Blake, too, appeared undeterred. "Look, Weiss, if you _really_ don't want to go, then just don't. But if you _do_ go, then we've got your back."

"What she said," Yang reaffirmed, gesturing with her head towards her girlfriend. She grinned. "Worst case scenario, if the party blows, you'll have three Huntresses happy to bail you out."

Weiss sighed, but smiled nonetheless, glad to have friends who would readily stand by her side – even at a stuffy party. "Well then, I guess that settles it." With that, she opened her arms and stepped closer to Blake, hugging her friend goodbye.

In the meanwhile, Ruby embraced her sister. "Have fun, sis."

Yang laughed nervously. "Yeah, sure. Try not to blow up the house, wouldya?" She pulled away and, taking on a surpisingly serious expression, stared her sibling straight in the eye, one of her fingers hanging threateningly a few inches away from the younger girl's face. "And don't even _think_ of touching Bumblebee while I'm not around. _I'll know_."

Tai, who had been silently standing nearby the whole time, joined in for the hug exchange that ensued. After all the squeezes had been given, Zwei was the last one to approach the departing couple; much to Blake's dismay, the pup did not move an inch after being petted by Yang, just sitting on the ground and staring at the amber-eyed girl intently, as if waiting for her move. With her cat ears lying flat atop her head, Blake looked at her friends haplessly, hoping to be saved, but it quickly became clear that it was a battle she alone would have to wage. Mustering her willpower, the brunette met Zwei's beady eyes and the two simply stared at one another for a while, until eventually Blake drew a deep breath and slowly – ever so slowly – moved her hand, bringing it an inch by an inch closer to the dog's head... only to recoil in surprise when Zwei took a playful nibble at her fingers.

Once her initial shock came to pass, Blake, with her pride being the only thing that had been hurt, shot the mutt an indignant glare. Zwei didn't seem too concerned, just looking back at the girl with his tongue sticking out of his mouth and his stubby tail wagging merrily. All it took for Blake's heated stare to falter was a single happy bark, which shattered her composure and caused her to burst into giggles; eager for vengeance, she poked and prodded with her fingers all over the pooch's body, with Zwei visibly enjoying every single moment of the assault.

Eventually, the laughter would die down among the group and, after exchanging the last few words and waving each other goodbye, the team would split up for the week, with Ruby and Weiss watching their teammates leave until they'd loose the girls from their sight, then heading inside the house.

* * *

Bright flames danced happily in the fireplace, casting flickering shadows onto the walls of the dimly lit living room. While the world outside the window drowned in the darkness of night, Ruby and Weiss dwelled in this pleasant, warm twilight, where the blaze of the hearth and the soft glow of a turned on holo-TV were the only sources of light. Having left the whole couch for her partner when Weiss wanted to lie down, Ruby had built herself a cozy nest of pillows on the floor, where she would sit with her back against the sofa as they continued their movie marathon. As hours passed, the girls talked and laughed less and less, getting progressively more weary, to the point where the quiet crackle of flames and the sounds coming from the speakers became the only things that disrupted the comfortable, sleepy silence that had taken hold of the place. At some point, the credits inevitably rolled for one more time and the soft notes of the theme song sweeped across the room, dissolving amongst the shadows.

Ruby simply listened to the tune for a good while before eventually deciding to speak up. "It's kinda surreal, isn't it?" she asked, cringing at the sound of her hoarse voice. Hoping it'd help at least a little bit, she cleared her throat before carrying on. "The two of us just sitting in my living room and idly watching TV, not having to worry too much about what tomorrow will bring... less than a month ago I'd have problems believing that a moment like this would ever come." She turned her head to look at Weiss, then let out a soft chuckle when she discovered that the heiress was sound asleep, likely having fallen victim to the comfort of the couch combined with the warmth of the nearby fire.

"But I'm really glad it did," Ruby whispered to no one in particular, knowing full that no one would hear her. She considered waking the heiress up, then - not having the heart to interrupt her partner's nap - briefly entertained the idea of just carrying Weiss upstairs, before coming to a conclusion that it'd be most unwise; in the end, she opted to just let the girl rest for a while longer.

Weiss looked absolutely adorable sleeping like that, nuzzling into the crook of her own elbow, dressed all casually in a fluffy, warm sweater and with her white hair set loose. Zwei napped contently by her side, with the heiress' hand buried in his fur, which led Ruby to believe that the heiress had dozed off while petting the pup. There was a slight coloration to Weiss' cheeks, though whether it was a trick of light or simply a blush caused by the heat emanating from the fireplace, Ruby could not tell. Whatever the case would be, it felt nice to see Weiss like that – peaceful, healthy and relaxed, breathing steadily in her sleep instead of fighting for her life in the med bay. The sight filled Ruby with a sense of joy and immense relief, making all the hardships of yesterday seem pale and distant; wanting to savor that moment, she just let her eyes roam freely over Weiss' serene face, the thought that her behaviour could be considered weird never crossing her sleep-addled mind.

There was so much she owed to that white-haired girl... even if Ruby was completely awake, she would likely have problems expressing just how grateful she was for Weiss' friendship. Practically ever since the beginning, the heiress had been bringing out the best in Ruby; more than that, she also caused the girl to strive to become even better - as a leader, a partner, a Huntress, and a person. She had been Ruby's critic, but also her most trustworthy confidante, always seeking to understand her partner, eventually becoming privy to the parts of the silver-eyed girl's mind that even Yang had no access to. Ruby trusted Weiss with her life and her heart, and took comfort in the knowledge that the heiress did the same for her; they shared both their joy and their suffering, one helping the other shoulder their burdens. During the time of strife, the young team leader had come to lean a great deal on that bond for the strength to keep going, to keep on _hoping_ in spite of all the adversities. Weiss was her safe harbor, the anchor that allowed her to weather even the darkest of storms. Ever since the team's reunion, whenever doubts had come crushing upon her, Ruby would turn around and see that the heiress was there for her, _believing_ in her; as long as Weiss followed her without any objections, she must have been doing _something_ right. No matter how many times she had stumbled or fallen, she had had her partner through it all – _that_ she would forever remember. Over the past year and a half, the heiress had tended to the flame that drove Ruby onwards; without Weiss, even with all of her team's love, Ruby would have lost her spirit a long time ago – that is, if she even would have lived long enough – cast adrift without power and without hope. To lose Weiss would have been like losing a part of her soul, and the thought scared Ruby far more than death ever could. Thankfully, that had not happened.

With the war having come to an end and the team spending the break together in Patch, Ruby was glad that she'd finally get an opportunity to at least partially repay Weiss for everything the girl had done for her, knowingly or not. She couldn't answer what the future had in store for Remnant, or even for her teammates alone; still, even though the tomorrow might remain an unknown, there was at least one promise she could make: Weiss would not be alone.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hi again! Sorry that it has taken me so long, but my university life was kind of a bitch and, as it turned out, I was unable to get _any_ work done until the second week of July (hell, I even missed the con that I had already bought the ticket for!). And then the chapter turned out to be, like, two times longer than I expected – y'kno, the usual.

So, yeah... that was the one chapter that made me _really_ wish I had a beta reader. It was quite important for me to get it right, and there's also That Thing I did that made a few paragraphs a fair bit trickier to write (though you might not have even noticed it, depending on how familiar you are with the lyrics of a certain song). Well, all I can say is that I hope that I've mostly delivered.

Bit of trivia: if there's one thing I learned from writing this chapter, it's that dogs seem to be some sort of a literary Achilles' heel of mine, or something...

 **Guest (A me):** Glad to see you're still around! Sadly, as much as I'd like to answer whether your predictions are correct, I can't do so here without delving well into the spoiler territory. What I can say, however, is that there are plenty of clues to be found in the story so far ;)

 **Commandant Luna:** Well, yeah, it does live. I know that my update schedule is pretty darn erratic at best, but if there's one thing I can promise, it's that _After the Storm_ is going to reach some sort of a conclusion. It might take me a while to get there, that's true... but I _will_ get there. Just hang on in there, and I'll do my best not to disappoint c:

Anyways, I'm really grateful to all of you who stay around and keep reading despite the long periods of wait between the updates; I hope that this chapter was at least somewhat worth the wait. Feel free to hit me up on Discord ( Terkontar#1181 ) if you'd like to talk. Thanks for reading, for follows, faves and reviews, and I hope I'll see you in the next chapter!


	14. Of stitchings and seams (snippet)

_**Chapter XIII: Of stitchings and seams (snippet)**_

Soft light of the sun illuminated the beige walls of a rather spacious bedroom, seeping inside through the cracked open window shutters. Yang was lying on her back, awake but unmoving, basking in the warmth of the morning glow while Blake slept happily by her side, using her shoulder as a pillow. With her fingers scratching absentmindedly behind one of the slumbering girl's cat ears, the blonde pondered idly on various matters, taking her time to brace herself for what the second day with Blake's parents would have in store for her.

Despite her worries, the previous day had gone by just fine. Although Yang's heart had been beating like crazy back when she had crossed the doorstep to the Belladonnas' temporary residence, it quickly had turned out that she had needed not to worry – Kali was a most accommodating hostess, not to mention being a pure joy to talk to. Thankfully, the woman had picked up on Yang's nervousness right away and had done what she could to get the poor girl to relax, even cracking a few jokes at her daughter's expense; Kali's outgoing, somewhat mischievous demeanor resonated well with Yang, before long making the girl _mostly_ forget about her earlier fear of embarassing herself in front of Blake's parents. Ghira, while not as openly friendly as his wife, was rather welcoming aswell; for some reason, he seemed to have quite a lot of respect for Yang - she could see it in his eyes and in the way he addressed her - though what she had done to earn it, she did not know. In the end, she had spent the day talking and enjoying the delicious food Kali had prepared for the occasion, and the night had fallen before she'd realized it; still, as pleasant as the events of the previous day had been, they had left her completely, utterly exhaused mentally, and she was really, _really_ not sure if she was ready for round two just yet.

She glanced at the face of the electronic alarm clock peeking at her from the nearby nightstand and let out a soft sigh, realizing that she had spent the last twenty minutes or so just staring at the ceiling and procrastinating. Seeing that it was already well past ten in the morning and that staying in bed any longer would probably just result in Yang working herself up for no good reason, the blonde began the arduous task of untangling herself from Blake - preferably without waking the other girl up. It took her a while, but, eventually, she managed to free herself from her girlfriend's hold, with the regained ability to feel her shoulder being the reward for her efforts. She watched Blake for a while, wondering whether her slumbering partner would stir; then, when the girl just continued to happily nuzzle the pillow Yang put in place of her own shoulder, the blonde cooed softly and stepped away from the bed, swiping her hairband from atop the bedtable and tying her hair in a few quick, well-practiced motions. Still in her sleepwear, she approached the door to the common room, only to stop dead in her tracks in the very last moment, as if suddenly remembering something; feeling her face heat up, she spun on her heel and briskly walked to the wardrobe, then opened it and began to dress up, shuddering at the thought of walking nearly bare-assed in front of Blake's parents.

Once she had made herself decent, Yang gingerly turned the doorknob and - taking a long, deep breath – stepped into the other room, where she was greeted with the sight of Kali working on something in the kitchen area, the enticing smell of a meal in making hanging in the air. The moment Yang set her foot in the room, one of Kali's ears turned in the direction of the door, with the woman's head soon following suit; when Blake's mother noticed Yang, she welcomed the blonde with a warm smile.

"Oh, good morning, Yang."

"Mornin', miss Belladonna."

Hearing Yang's response, the woman rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Yang, sweetie, we've been over this yesterday. I don't expect you to call me 'mom' just yet, but you really should get used to calling Ghira and I by our names," she said, a faint hint of laughter echoing in her voice.

Thrown a bit off guard by Kali's playful remark, Yang glanced to the side, rubbing her neck and laughing sheepishly. "Alright, alright. I'll try." She stepped closer, taking a better look at what the other woman was doing; a chef's knife glinted in Kali's grasp as she diced a slab of meat in well-practiced motions, while something boiled in the nearby pot. After a while of watching in silence, once Yang regained most of her composure, she spoke up. "So, _Kali_... would you like me to lend you a hand with that?" Yang asked with a smirk, gesturing with her bionic hand towards the meat.

The blonde's words gave Kali a pause, prompting her to look at Yang quizzically – much to the other's amusement. Seeing that Yang's grin only grew in size with each passing moment, the woman quickly figured that it had indeed been an intentional joke and chuckled under her breath, a tiny little smirk visible in the corners of her mouth. "Yes, thank you," Kali said, laying down her knife beside the cutting board and stepping away as to make some room for Yang. While Yang washed her hands and started slicing a rather thick chop of meat into inch-wide stripes, Blake's mother took a brief moment to check up on the contents of the boiling pot, then proceeded to pull out a bag of potatoes from the cupboard below the counter, placing said bag near a sink. "Is Blake awake, by any chance?" Kali asked, fishing out a potato peeler from one of the drawers and getting to work.

Done with preparing the stripes, Yang promptly chopped them into smaller bits, using the blade of her knife to move ready pieces to the side, their size about the same as the ones made by Kali. "Nope. Wasn't the last time I checked, anyway."

When she finished dicing her first chop, Yang took a moment to look around the place. For the duration of their stay in Vale, the City Council had offered Belladonnas a rather fancy penthouse atop one of the tallest buildings in the city, with an amazing view of the whole Vale from the spacious balcony. Within the apartment itself were two bedrooms – each with its own bathroom – and a large, brightly lit open space serving as a kitchen, dining room, living room and everything inbetween. Although Yang spotted a large plate with a few leftover sandwitches resting atop the dining table, the room was empty save for the two women bustling around the kitchen area. "Has miste... err, I mean, has Ghira left already?" Yang questioned.

Kali let out a small sigh, nodding. "Yes, he's left about an hour ago. Starting with the Council, he'll be going from one meeting to another till the late afternoon, I'm afraid."

"Damn," Yang breathed out, both impressed and feeling sorry for Ghira. "It must be tough, being both the chieftain of Menagerie and the chairman for the union."

"It is. Still, someone has to do this, to strike the iron while its still hot. And in my admittedly biased opinion, Ghira is the best person for the job." The woman chuckled softly, glancing at Yang with a smirk dancing on her lips. "Besides, he's enjoying himself. Sure, he's busier than ever, but at the long last things are going in the cause's favor. It feels good, to see the effects of years of your hard work finally come to fruition."

"Heh. You can say that again."

The conversation between them never died down for long as they continued to cook, with the two talking leisurely about various matters, getting to know one another and exchanging stories. Kali was more than happy to share a few anecdotes from Blake's childhood, or from the times when she herself had met Ghira, back in the days when White Fang had been young and still stood by noble ideals. Yang repaid her in kind, telling her stories of her own childhood with Ruby and of their team's spoils at Beacon, leaving the darker stuff out of her tale, so as not to mar the pleasant morning. Before they'd realized it, the meat, seasoned and pre-fried, was already stewing in the happily bubbling pot, while the peeled potatoes waited patiently for the right time to be put on a burner.

With their work finished, Kali brewed some tea. While she was pouring herself a cup, her cat ears twitched slightly and she turned her head a bit, as if she had heard something; after a brief moment, seemingly assuming that it was nothing, she lost her interest in the imaginary sound and simply started filling another cup with the steaming amber liquid.

"Yang... can I ask you something personal?"

* * *

Blake stirred, her consciousness called upon the waking world by the vague feeling that something was amiss. She felt... cold, or rather _colder_ , as if someone had taken away the source of the comforting warmth that had lulled her to sleep, leaving her yearning for the heat from before. As her senses and general awareness began to come around, she realized that her head was resting on a simple pillow, while the object in her arms was no longer as pleasantly firm as she remembered it to be. Upon opening her eyes, the last shadow of a doubt was gone – she lied alone hugging a pillow, with Yang nowhere in sight; even her warmth had already disappeared. Letting out a small groan of disappointment, Blake grumpily flopped over onto her back, deciding not to get out of the bed just yet.

She could hear Yang's voice through the door, talking with her mom. Blake tried to listen, but their words simply went in one ear and out the other, reduced to a mere background noise in her not-yet-awakened mind. After a couple minutes, the conversation seemed to had died down for a while, and Blake, finding the silence slightly unnerving, stifled one last yawn and finally got up, with the mattress beneath her croaking in protest. She took a few lazy steps towards the door, only to slow down when she heard her mother speak up.

"Yang... can I ask you something personal?"

Blake froze in place, her hand hovering mere inches away from the doorknob. Something about her mother's voice caused her to tense a bit – it sounded almost like the woman was uncomfortable, or perhaps hesitant, as if she was about to mention some touchy subject; nonetheless, a sense of morbid curiosity overcame Blake, telling her to stay still, lest she interrupted the two on the other side of the door and never learned what Kali was so curious about.

"Sure, anything. Shoot," Yang agreed easily, seemingly unaware of Kali's apprehension.

"You see, I've been wondering for a while now..."The woman paused and remained silent for a while, as if searching for the right words to ask her question; when they finally came, they hit Blake with the full strength of a speeding bullet. "Why have you forgiven Blake?"

Her heart skipped a beat at the dreaded sound of the question she had asked herself a hundred times over, tormenting herself during long, sleepless nights... one she had never uttered aloud, too afraid of the answer she so craved to know. A part of her brain screamed at her to do something, to barge in and stop Yang from answering or to run away, to do _anything..._ but she did not. She knew she needed to hear it, for Yang, and for her own sake; otherwise, she'd probably never find her peace. And so, with that thought in mind, she took a deep breath, then rested her forehead against the door and closed her eyes, listening.

"I... I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have asked..." Kali apologized, seemingly abashed by the directness of her own question. "I just want to understand your feelings. From what you both have told me about your time at Beacon, you two were really close. You've given her so much... and yet she has left you without a single word, at a time when you needed her most. It must've been terrible."

Blake clenched her eyelids even tighter, gritting her teeth. She despised herself for what she had done to Yang, for that tremendous breach of trust she felt she could never possibly atone for. Yang had never betrayed her nor pushed her away, not even after the truth about Blake's Faunus heritage and her involvement with White Fang had come to light. In spite of Blake's secrets, the girl had given Blake all of her friendship and her love, and readily put her life on the line in order to protect her partner. Blake had cost Yang her arm, and all she had done to repay the favor was to cause the blonde even more grief, breaking the heart she had been given. And yet, when Kali and Ghira had said to Yang that they were sorry for her loss, she just looked them in the eye and replied 'I'm not'.

Her mother continued. "Now, I do remember what you've said the first time we've met at Haven, that you don't regret defending her from Adam, but... weren't you angry?"

Yang let out a short laugh. "Oh, I was angry alright, _believe me,_ " she replied, sounding genuinely amused by the question. There was a pause after those words, lasting for a few moments before the blonde ended it with a resigned sigh. "Y'see, abandonment has been kind of a recurring theme in my life. My biological mother left me shortly after I was born. Then we lost Summer, Ruby's mom, and dad completely shut in, coping with Summer's disapperance by working his ass off at Signal. And I, a little kid, was left alone, with no answer as to _why_. Was I not good enough? Was that why even my biological mother - of whom I learned only after we had lost Summer, by the way - had left me?" She remained quiet for a second, letting her words hang in the air for a bit before continuing to speak. "This question became my obsession, and I sobered up only after my stupidity had almost gotten both Ruby and I killed. Not that I ever stopped looking for the answer, no... but I got my priorities straight. I tried my best to be the big sis Ruby deserved, to fill in for the mother we've both lost... it was hard, but we've had one another, and Ru was the sweetest little sister I could've ever asked for."

"I moved on, striving to be better, to grow stronger, to be _useful_ , so as to never again get tossed away like a dirty rag. And I s'ppose I kinda succeeded. I enrolled at Signal and gave it my all. I've gotten people to look up to me, to rely on me... then I graduated and went to Beacon. I met Weiss, met Blake, had a kick-ass team led by my little sister, of whom I couldn't be any more proud of. Honestly... it was the time of my life." Hearing Yang's voice in that moment, Blake could easily imagine the girl's face, that tiny little smile that would dance on her lips for a beautiful while, before disappearing unceremoniously like a spark once the blonde's story would inevitably take a darker turn. "But then came the Fall. I lost my arm, and along with it I lost a piece of myself – and not just physically. The strength and reliability I'd worked so hard for – gone. People could no longer depend on me; I had to depend on _them,_ even with something as simple as washing fucking dishes _._ I turned into a liability, and the moment I did, Blake just _left._ Just as my mother had," she said, with her voice starting to crack towards the end, the sound of which drove a dagger through Blake's heart. A brief moment of silence followed; when the blonde Huntress spoke again, she sounded strangely wistful, her words not much louder than a whisper. "You know, back before everything went to hell, I used to think that I've gotten over that whole abandonment thing, but... it's not really something you _can_ get over, is it. It just sits silently somewhere in the back of your head, repressed, forgotten... but it's still there, waiting to come crushing on you when you're on your lowest. And crush me it did. Needless to say, I found myself in a very, _very_ dark place."

She paused for a second and exhaled loudly; when she resumed her tale, her voice returned to its normal volume. "Of course, I wasn't completely abandoned – Ruby and dad were there for me, trying to reach out to me... but I was just so _bitter_ , so _angry_ at everything and everyone that I just kept pushing them away. I felt _betrayed_ , and the fact that it was Blake who had left me made it hurt all the more. She was my partner, my _best friend_... I would've been there for her if she just let me, so why wasn't she there for me when _I_ needed her most?"

Burning hot tears began to flow down Blake's cheeks. _"Because I was a worthless, self-righteous coward who's never deserved you,"_ she berated herself in her thoughts, with her throat far too strained for any words to come through. She had known of Yang's history of abandonment and loneliness, and yet she had still chosen to run away without a goodbye, too afraid to face her best friend whom she had owed so much. It had been easier, running away from her problems and responsibilities... but it was Yang who had paid the price. Blake had spent many nights thinking about it, wondering how the blonde must've felt, what hell Blake's actions had put her through... but no matter how accurate her guesses might have been, nothing had prepared her for hearing the truth straight from Yang's lips. It _hurt,_ it hurt so much that she wanted nothing but to curl into a ball and just disappear into oblivion... and yet, in a strange, twisted sense, things she had heard had given her some sense of closure, some peace of mind. She no longer had to torture herself with guesses; she finally knew the truth.

"I kept asking myself that question as I spent my days just lying in bed, wallowing in self-pity for _months_. Back at the time I didn't know that Blake's disappearance was a well-intentioned, if pretty damn insensitive, attempt to protect us from Adam... but then again, I honestly doubt I would've cared at all even if I _did_ know the truth. In fact, it was the first thing my sister said to me after I'd told her that Blake had run – that she must've had her reason. And Ruby was right, but I did not want to listen; all that mattered was that Blake had ditched me without as much as a word."

After a long period of being a silent listener, Kali finally decided to say something. "Do you think it would've been easier for you if Blake had explained herself before leaving?" she asked in a quiet, compassionate voice. Blake, in the meanwhile, pushed herself away from the door and stepped to the side, turning around and leaning her back against the wall by the doorframe; with her eyes closed and face turned towards the ceiling, she continued to cry in silence, listening and waiting for her partner to speak.

Yang did not reply straight away, taking a moment to consider her answer. "I wonder... on one hand, I wouldn't have felt so betrayed. On the other, I'd probably have ended up feeling even more miserable and useless, not being able to go with her without being a hindrance. Or I'd have tried to stop her from leaving for Menagerie altogether, which would be really unfair, not to mention that it'd probably have ended up biting us all in our collective ass, what's with that whole White Fang mess that was going on." There was a while of silence, till Yang could be heard huffing through her nose in frustration, seemingly unable to decide on an answer. "I don't know, Kali... I really don't. I was a mess back then, and that's putting it mildly. By the time I got my act together, I had already managed to convince _Ruby_ that I didn't want her around, to the point where she left for Mistral without me... off to save the world," she said, with audible traces of fondness echoing in her voice when she mentioned Ruby's quest. "Eventually, I got better. Came to terms with certain things, accepted myself the way I am now. Getting back together with Ruby and Weiss helped a great deal, too. Still, if you asked me if I wanted to punch Blake straight into that pretty face of hers when we finally met again, the answer would be 'yes'. Hell, I almost did just that," she said, letting out a small chuckle; even Blake managed to smile a bit through her tears at the memory of their reunion.

 _Emerald's illusion dissipated as suddenly as it had appeared, its horror leaving them all in a daze. Stunned, they all looked around in search of their enemy, only to discover that they were alone; their opponents had fled. They had won. Letting out a long, shaky breath in relief, Blake reluctantly turned her head towards Ruby, Weiss and the rest of the company, feeling sick in the stomach at the thought of the conversation that was to come. Then, she winced, feeling as if her heart had been pierced with a needle; in that very moment, she met the gaze of the friend of whose trust she had betrayed... and saw the lilac eyes flash red._

 _Yang shoved the strange object she was carrying into Qrow's arms, causing the man to stagger a bit. Burning with justified fury, the blonde wordlessly stomped past her uncle and her speechless friends, not sparing them a single glance as she power-walked across the Great Hall, with her stare burning a hole straight through her former partner. Blake unwittingly took a few steps back until she hit the wall. With each heartbeat, Yang drew closer and closer... but even though her body was screaming at her to move and save her skin, Blake didn't budge; she was done with running away, and she certainly deserved what she believed was coming for her. So she simply waited for the justice to come, staring wistfully at the place where Yang's right forearm should've been._

 _When Yang was mere feets away, Blake clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, with the last things she had seen being a flash of bared teeth and an arm priming for a strike._

 _ **WHAM.**_

 _She heard the defeaning crack of the wooden wall right next to her ear... but the skull-splitting pain she had expected never came, much to Blake's bewilderment. No-one had smashed her head into the wall, no tremendous force had lifted her off her feet, no punch to the gut had knocked the wind out of her lungs; she was completely fine, save for the fiendish ringing in her ears... but she failed to grasp the reason why. Thinking that Yang simply must've missed her head and was about to deliver another strike, Blake opened her eyelids... and instead of seeing the crimson glare burning with rage, she was met with the sight of the beautiful lilac eyes brimming with tears, gazing straight into hers. Before she could fully comprehend what was happening, her stunned self was pulled into a one-armed embrace, then brought to her knees when she tried to stabilize Yang as the girl's legs buckled under the blonde. In a matter of moments, Yang devolved into a sobbing mess, and Blake, having no idea what else to do in that unfathomable situation she'd found herself in, enveloped the poor girl in an awkward hug. Completely at a loss for words and knowing not what to think nor feel, she, too, found herself crying, too overwhelmed to even discern the reason why. Soon enough, Ruby and Weiss approached the two, smiling to one another, and silently joined in for the hug, finally reuniting team RWBY once and for all; that was how Kali and Ghira had found them when they walked into the Great Hall a few minutes later._

"But the urge to just hug her and not let go was stronger," Yang added, and, once again, Blake could hear a smile in her voice. "Of course, our relationship didn't just magically get back to normal overnight. Far from it. For the next few months, our interactions ranged from completely adorable to _incredibly_ awkward, and often times the mood changed at the drop of the hat. Blake... she didn't really know how to act around me, with me having lost an arm and her feeling guilty. She was very supportive though, trying to make up for having left me, and I really appreciated that... but there is a fine line between being supportive and being patronizing – a line she sometimes crossed without realizing it. And after losing my arm in her defense and then pulling myself back together on my own... nothing stung quite like Blake treating me as if I was some figurine made out of brittle glass."

Blake winced at the memory of her many fuck-ups that had followed their reunion. In hindsight, she herself couldn't believe how in the world had she been able to be so _stupidly_ insensitive; it just boggled her mind how clueless she had been until Yang had finally snapped at her. It had become clear to Blake that she still had not changed, and was just as selfish as she had ever been – in the end, even 'helping' Yang served mostly just to make her own self feel better, to ease the guilt gnawing at her soul... and she loathed herself for that.

The blonde carried on. "Still, I could tell that she was trying. That she deeply regretted having left me in my time of need. And, most importantly, she never ran from me again; she stayed by my side, and, with time and effort, we've rebuilt what we've once had – together. With all of that in mind, it wasn't all that hard to find it in myself to forgive her; I love that idiot, goddammit, and I was happy to have her back."

Yang exhaled loudly; she seemed somewhat relieved to have taken these things off her chest. "So, there's your answer, Kali. These are my feelings, and my reason for having forgiven Blake. I just wish she'd forgive herself, too," Yang said, with the last sentence she'd uttered being nothing more than a quiet murmur, a silent plea spoken with a hint of desperation in her voice. "I'm worried, you know. About her, about the future of our relationship. I love her, and I know that she loves me back, but there are times when I can feel her just... _slipping away_. It's been over a year now, but she still guilttrips herself as if it was a past-time of hers. I tried talking with her... but it's like talking to a wall; it just doesn't seem to get through to her, as if she assumed that I don't really mean what I say, that I'm just pitying her. She has that silly notion that she doesn't deserve me, or some other self-loathing bullshit. But, really, it's not for her to decide that; the decision is _mine_ and mine alone. And I've already decided: I just want us to be happy, together. But I don't know what to do to make her understand... and it scares me."

A pitiful wail escaped Blake's throat despite the poor girl's attempt at stifling it with her hand. Overwhelmed with emotions, she sunk down the wall as her legs failed and gave in. She cried openly now, forfeiting her futile attempts at biting back her sobs and containing her voice. She felt happy but also sad, relieved and ashamed, guilty and very, _very_ confused with what was going on; it was as if the world had been turned upside down, and she just didn't understand it anymore.

In a matter of seconds, the door were flung open and Yang stormed in, her eyes searching wildly for Blake for the brief moment before finding the girl sitting on the floor right beside the entrance. Reluctantly, dewy-eyed Blake looked up at her girlfriend, who simply stared in horror, seemingly not even noticing when Kali also stepped into the room and stood right next to her. Blake opened her mouth, but no words came forth; she just didn't know what to say... and judging from the sad, troubled look on Yang's face, the blonde Huntress didn't either. Finding no words that would help her, Yang simply knelt beside Blake and enveloped the crying mess of a girl in a warm, loving hug, placing a tender kiss atop her girlfriend's scalp; neither said anything, remaining locked in an embrace. After a while, Kali, feeling out of place, retreated out of the room and quietly closed the door behind her, giving the two girls a fond, sad smile before tactfully leaving them alone. Blake simply continued to cry, rocking back and forth in Yang's arms, with her wails only increasing in intensity as she went on. She felt absolutely terrible... and yet, even though hearing what Yang had said had pained her immensely, she felt that those words had at the long last set her _free._ And deep down, somewhere among the wild torrent of confusing emotions raging in her chest, she found herself feeling ever so slightly more hopeful.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Go to university, they said. It will be _fun_ , they said. Who would've thought that studying three different foreign languages at uni would be so time-consuming, amirite?

So, uh, long time no see. I just thought I'd drop by and tell y'all that I'm still alive and reasonably well, just busy as hell with real life. Apologies for the short update; in fact, it's not even a full chapter, only the middle part of the whole thing (hence 'snippet') – this scene between Yang, Kali and Blake simply seemed fairly standalone, and I figured that posting _something_ would be better than leaving you hanging. Once the rest is ready, I'm probably gonna delete this update and re-upload its contents as a part of the chapter proper... unless the whole thing will be sitting at around 15k words total, which currently does not seem all that unlikely.

Actually, that's probably _exactly_ what's gonna happen. Oh well.

I hope that you didn't mind this update being so Bumblebee-focused, without even a sprinkling of Ruby and Weiss (if it's any consolation, the rest of the chapter is mostly about the other pair, especially Ruby). I also wasn't sure if I should retcon Blake and Yang's canon reunion. You see, I tend to be wary of messing with the established canon _too much_ if I can avoid it without negatively impacting the story... but, y'see, I've had this idea for the Bumblebees' reunion for _the longest time,_ waaaay before V5 aired. Then the V5 came out, the canon reunion happened and I couldn't help but feel it was kind of... well, meh. I mean, it was sweet alright, but also very... _bland_. Knowing how deeply Blake's departure had affected Yang and how strongly Yang had felt about it, I expected it to be far more heated. In any case – what do you think of my retconning? Yay or nay?

I'm sorry it's taking so long. October and November were pretty damn intense, to the point where I had barely any time to _sleep_ , let alone to write. On rare occassions when I did have some time to spare, I often just didn't have the energy necessary to do so and usually ended up chilling and playing games, and when I _did_ get around to writing, the damned thing just refused to cooperate. It's a heavy, important chapter, too, so I don't want to half-ass things. January's gonna be hard, what's with exams and whatnot, but I'll have most of February off. In any case, I'll keep working on the storywhenever time and the Muses allow.

Thanks for your time, follows, faves, reviews and just staying around; I really appreciate it. Oh, and belated happy New Year!


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